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GARDEN OF THE TUILERIES, PARIS. 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL, 



OR 



TWELVE MONTHS IN EUROPE. 



By HORATIO KING, 

V 
EX-POSTMASTER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES. 



l An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told.) — Shakspeare. 




WASHINGTON CITY: 
PUBLISHED BY J. BRADLEY ADAMS. 

"SCHOOL OF MUSIC" PRESS. 

1878. 



ir 



THE LIBRARY 
OF CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, 

By Horatio King, 
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 






Printed at the "School of Music" 

joy 8 th street, N. IV., 
Washington, District af Columbia. 



PREFACE. 



Weiting a book is one of the last things I ever 
contemplated; and it was not until nearly a year 
after our return from Europe that I even thought of 
penning, for weekly publication, this running ac- 
count of our pleasant trip. Otherwise I should have 
taken much fuller notes and have had to depend 
less upon my memory and books of reference. In 
all essential particulars, what I have taken from 
other writers is indicated by quotation marks. I 
have never set up any claim to literary merit. I 
make no such claim now. I have not strained after 
originality, but have only sought to give a plain, 
unpretending sketch of our travels. It takes now 
the form of a book on the advice and expressed 
desire of many friends. I hope it may prove for- 
tunate. 

H. K. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Departure from New York — Sensations of a First Ocean Trip — 
Welcome to a Land Bird — Original Ocean Hymn — Ode to an 
Iceberg — Warning Signals — Hour Bells — Literary Reunion — 
Arrival at Queenstown . - - . . I 

CHAPTER II. 

Incidents on Landing — Appearance of Queenstown — Cork — Blar- 
ney Castle and the " Blarney Stone" . . . .7 

CHAPTER III. 

Lakes of Killarney — Dunloe Gap — Muckross Abbey — Meeting of 

the Waters — "Sweet Innisfallen" — Old Castle at Mallow . 10 

CHAPTER IV. 

Dublin — Trinity College — Burke and Goldsmith — Dublin Castle — 
Bank of Ireland — Houses of the Irish Parliament — St. Patrick's 
Cathedral — Park and Botanical Gardens — Belfast — Port Rush 
— Ride in a Jaunting Car — Giant's Causeway . . 1 3 

CHAPTER V. 

Glasgow — St. George's Square — The Cathedral — Necropolis — Kel- 
vin Grove Park — Museum — Birth-place and Tomb of Burns — 
Alloway Kirk — Tarn O'Shanter and Souter Johnny — Brig o' 
Doon — Eglinton Castle . _ . . . .20 

CHAPTER VI. 

Lochs Lomond and Katrine — The Trosachs — Stirling Castle — 
Mary, Queen of Scots- — John Knox — Cemetery — Wallace Mon- 
ument — Edinburgh Castle — Heart of Mid Lothian — The old 
Tolbooth — John Knox's House — The Canongate — Lady Stair's 
Close . . . , . . . 24 



Vlll 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Edinburgh — Roslin Castle — Caiton Hill — Sir Walter Scott's Monu- 
ment — Canongate Churchyard — White House Inn — Dr. John- 
son — Gallery of Paintings — Museum — Horatius Bonar — Holy- 
rood Palace — Queen Mary and Lord Darnley — The Assassina- 
tion of Rizzio — Arthur's Seat — St. Anthony's Well and Chapel 
— Jennie Deans — Antiquarian Museum . . 31 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Melrose and Dryburgh Abbeys — Abbottsford — Leamington — Ken- 
ilworth Castle — Warwick Castle — Stratford-on- Avon — Shaks- 
peare's House — His Place of Burial — Interesting Particulars — 
Oxford University and Museum . . . _ - 37 

CHAPTER IX. 

London — Westminster Abbey — Poets' Corner — Monuments and 
Inscriptions — Shakspeare — Addison — Milton — Livingstone — 
Sir John Franklin — Many others, including Major Andre — His 
Letter to General Washington . . . . - 34 



CHAPTER X. 

London — Hyde Park — 'Wellington and Albert Monuments — The 
Thames Embankment — Richmond — Kew Gardens — Albert 
Hall Concert — Mansion House — Zoological Gardens — Kensal 
Green Cemetery — Madame Tussaud's — British Museum — 
Hampton Court .... 



51 



CHAPTER XL 

London — State Dinner of the Clothworker's Company — The Loving 

Cup 58 

CHAPTER XII. 

London — South Kensington Museum — National Picture Gallery — 
East India Museum — Trafalgar Square — Charing Cross — Tow- 
er of London — Windsor Castle — Eton College — Gray's Elegy . 63 

CHAPTER XIII. 

London — St. Paul's — Temple Church and Temple Bar — Dean Stan- 
ley in Westminster Abbey and at his House — Rev. Mr. Spur- 
geon . . . . . . . - 7° 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. IX 

CHAPTER XIV. 

London — House of Commons — House of Lords — Parliament Build- 
ings — Guy Fawkes — Westminster Hall — United States Lega- 
tion — Newgate Prison — Bonhill-field Burying-ground — Cheap- 
side to Queen's Road — Wat Tyler — Jack Cade . . 76 

CHAPTER XV. 

Crossing the Channel — Rotterdam — The Hague — Queen's House 
in the Woods — Houses of Lords and Commons — National Mu- 
seum — Amsterdam — Royal Palace — Museum — Zoological Gar- 
dens — Antwerp — Its fine Churches — Rubens . . - &3 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Brussels — Royal Celebration at the Cathedral of St. Gudule — Na- 
tional and Wurtz Galleries of Fine Arts — Grand' Military Re- 
view — Cologne — Its great Cathedral — Up the Rhine — Old 
Castles — Ehrenbreitstein — Mouse Tower — Bingen . 9 1 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Frankfort — Dannecker's Ariadne — Goethe and Schiller Monuments 
— Palmer Gardens — The Romer — Jewish Quarter — House of 
the Rothschilds — Homburg — Nuremberg — Chamber of Inqui- 
sition — Houses of Albert Diirer and Hans Sachs — Cemetery — 
Churches of St. Lawrence and St. Sebald — Gallery of Paintings . 99 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Ratisbon — Walhaila — Eger — A Pleasant Traveling Companion — 
Leipsic — Women and Cows at Work in the Fields — Battle of 
Leipsic ■ . . . . . . . 107 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Berlin — King's Palace — Unter den Linden Strasse — Brandenburg- 
Gate — National Monument — Statue of Frederick the Great — 
Musenm — Beer Garden — Charlottenburg — Potsdam — Its Pal- 
aces, Gardens, etc.. . . . . . .112 

CHAPTER XX. 

1 )resden — Picture Galleries — Military Museum — Museum of Nat- 
ural History — Green Vaults — German Social Life . . 120 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XXL 

Vienna — Scenes and Incidents on the Way — Imperial Painting Gal- 
lery — Armor Historical Gallery — Schonbrunn — Cathedrals — 
Laxenburg — Modling . . . . . . 128 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Salzburg — Castle — Lake Konigs — Visit to the Hallein Salt Mines 

— Novel Experience ...... 135 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Munich — Grand Military Review — Cathedrals — Museum — Glyp- 
tothek — Pinakothek — Art Exhibition — Royal Palace — Royal 
Foundry — Statue of Bavaria . . . . . 140 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Zurich — Lake Constance — Consul Byers — Interesting Relics — 

Odd Sights — Ragatz — Dr. Schleiden — Tamini Gorge . .148 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Lucerne — Thorwaldsen's Lion — Excursion to Fluelen . . 155 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Interlachen — Brunig Pass — Giesbach Palls — Thun . .160 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Berne — Bear Dens — Federal Palace — Old Clock Tower — Singular 

Sight — Freiburg — Great Organ . . . . 165 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Lake Leman — Lausanne — Ouchy — M. Thiers — Vevay — Castle 

of Chillon — Gorge du Trient 173 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Martigny — Col de Balme — Chamouni — Mont Blanc — Mer de 

Glace — Mont Brevent ...... 181 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Argentiere — Old Mountain Guide — Chamouni to Geneva — De- 
scription — A good Pun . . . . . 189 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. XI 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Geneva — Mr. Consul Upton — Ferney — Voltaire's House — M. 
Taine — Pere Hyacinthe — The Cathedral Church of St. Peter — 
John Calvin — Rath Museum — Touching Incident . - 196 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Mont Cenis Tunnel — Turin — Description — Royal Palace . . 202 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Milan — Painting of the Last Supper — Leonardo da Vinci — The 

Cathedral — Picture Gallery — Lake Como — Varenna to Verona 209 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Verona — Protestant Mission — The Roman Catholics — Juliet's 

Tomb — Tombs of the Scaligers — Cathedral . . . 215 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Venice — Churches — Campanile . . . ' . . 222 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Venice — Bridges — Gondolas — Funeral Procession — Palace of the 
Doges — Academy of Fine Arts — Bridge of Sighs — Prison — 
St. Mark's Square — The Doves . . .227 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Padua — Ferrara — Bologna — Love Story — A Fright on the Train 

— Florence — The Misericordia .... 234 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Florence — Santa Maria Novella — Artists' Studios — Pitti Palace — 

Museum of Natural History — Protestant Cemetery . .241 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Florence — San Lorenzo — Medicean Chapel — Sagrestia Nuovo — 
Assassination — The Duomo — Baptistery and Bronze Doors — 
Fiesole . . . . . . . . 248 

CHAPTER XL. 

Florence — Uffizi and Pitti Galleries — Michael Angelo's House — 

La Certoza ....... 253 



Xll SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

CHAPTER XLL 

Florence - — Story of Genevra — Thanksgiving Day — Singular Su- 
perstition — Freedom of Worship — Santa Croce — Piazza della 
Signoria, etc. . . - - - . - 2 59 

CHAPTER XLII. 
Rome — Scenes by the Way — First Impressions ... 266 

CHAPTER XLIII. 
Rome — St. Peter's — The Vatican — Sistine Chapel . .272 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

Rome — Vespers at St. Peter's and Trmita de' Monti — Mr. Van 
Meter's Schools — Borghese Picture Gallery — Tomb of Augus- 
tus — Fountain of Trevi — Church of the Capuchins . .278 

CHAPTER XLV. 

Rome — Farnese Palace — San Pietro in Montorio — Trajan and Ro- 
man Forums — Appian Way — Footprints of our Saviour — 
Temple of Bacchus — Ancient Relics — Sculptors' Studios — 
Barberini Palace — Beatrice Cenci . 284 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

Rome — Father Chatard — Pincian Hill — Vatican Sculpture Gallery 

— The Pantheon — St. Paul's House - . . . 290 

CHAPTER XLVII. 

Rome — Visit to Pius IX — Santa Maria Maggiore — A Call from 

Father Chatard — Interesting Account .... 296 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

Rome — Palace of the Caesars — Tarpeian Rock — Coliseum — Ro- 
man Forum -..___. 303 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

Rome — Christmas at St. Peter's — Church of St. Paul — Arch of 
Janus — Tomb of Caius Cestius — Graves of Shelley and Keats 

— Marmetine Prisons — St. Pietro in Vincoli — St. Giovanni 
Laterano — The Santa Scala . . . . . 311 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. Xlll 

CHAPTER L. 

Rome — Santa Croce in Gerusalemme — Santa Maria in Araceli — 
The Bambino — Corsini Palace — St. Onofrio — Tasso — Gari- 
baldi — Colonna Palace . . . . - - 318 

CHAPTER LI. 

Naples — Virgil's Tomb — National Museum — Italian Beggars — 

Villa Reale . . . - - - - 3 2 5 

CHAPTER LIT 

Naples — Castellamare — Sorrento — Pompeii . - . 331 

CHAPTER LIII. 

Naples — Trip to Baice — Grotto of Posilido — Pozzuoli — Crater of 
Solfatara — Lake Avernus — Royal Palace — Vesuvius — Lava 
Beds 338 

CHAPTER LIV. 

Rome — Capitoline Museum — Interesting Excursion — Names of 
the Seven Hills — Church of St. Augustine — Baths of Caracalla 
— Catacombs — William and Mary Howitt - . . 345 

CHAPTER LV. 

Rome to Geneva — Pisa — The great Cathedral, Baptistery, Leaning 
Tower, and Campo Santo — Spezzia — Genoa — A Fright — 
View of the City ...... 352 

CHAPTER LVI. 

Geneva — Coppet — Madame de Stael — Geneva to Paris — Strange 
Sight — Nice — Toulon — Marseilles — Aries — Nismes — Avig- 
non — Lyons — Dijon — Fontainebleau . . . 359 

CHAPTER LVII. 

Paris — Versailles — Palace — St. Cloud — Sevres — Garden of the 
Tuileries — Churches of St. iCtienne du Mont, Notre Dame, and 
the Madeleine — The Louvre — Tomb of Napoleon — Hotel 
des Invalides ....... ^66 



XIV SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

Paris — Place de la Concorde — Place du Carousal — Place Napoleon 
Place and Column of Venddme — Column of July — Place de la 
Bastile — Place du Trone — Champs filysees — Siege of Paris — 
Arc de Triomphe — Portes St. Martin and St. Denis — Tour St. 
Jacques — Palais Royal . . . . - W 

CHAPTER LIX. 

Paris — Destruction from the War — Reception of the Emperors of 
Russia and Austria and King of Prussia in 1867 — Emperor and 
Empress of France — Pere La Chaise — Abelard and Helo'ise — 
Jardin des Plantes — Pantheon — St. Roche — Palace and Gar- 
den of the Luxembourg — Hotel Cluny . . . 383 

CHAPTER LX. 

Paris to London — The Thames — London to Liverpool — Ocean 

Passage — Home Again . . . . . - 391 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Paris — Garden of the Tuileries. 

Edinburgh — Edinburgh Castle and Scott Monument. 3 O 
London — Westminster Abbey. 
Amsterdam. 

Potsdam — Sans Souci. i / b 

Munich — Bavarian Statue and Hall of Fame. / y L 
i Venice — Court of the Palace of the Doges. 
Florence. ij 

! Rome — Coliseum of Vespasian. 

FONTAINEBLEAU — GARDEN AND PALACE. 

Versailles — Palace. 
Paris — Hotel des Invalides. 
f- Paris — Place Vendome. 

t Paris — Tour de St. Jacques de la Boucherie. 
>\ Paris — Luxembourg Palace. 3 ( 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL, 



TWELVE MONTHS IN EUROPE. 



CHAPTER I. 

tN" undertaking to give some sketches of travel in 
Europe, it may be as well to start from New York, 
although there is hardly anything more monoto- 
nous than an ocean trip on a smooth sea; and as we 
(myself and wife,) had fine weather the most of the 
way, our passage over was without any remarkable 
incident. We sailed the 12th of May, 1875, a good 
time to start, on the Cunard steamship "Scotia," 
commanded by Captain Leitch, a first-rate officer. 
We chose this ship because she has side wheels. 
The number of passengers did not exceed eighty — 
all strangers to us except Horatio Stone, the sculptor, 
who was on his way to Rome never to return. He 
had formerly resided there a considerable length of 
time, and in reference to our apprehensions of dan- 
ger in visiting that city, he ridiculed the idea of its 
being any more sickly there than in any other city. 
Whether or no he contracted there the disease which 
carried him off, we are not advised; but, on reaching 
Geneva, in September, we heard with sorrow that he 
had died sometime in July or August, at Carrara, 
the place of fine Italian marble quarries. 

Our departure from New York was marked by the 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



usual crowd and excitement — friends come to bid 
farewell — the hurrying to and fro between ship and 
shore — and finally, as our great vessel moved slowly 
from her moorings, the casting of pennies into the 
water as a means of appeasing the evil spirits of the 
deep — the waving of handkerchiefs and other dem- 
onstrations of affection — the earnest looking to catch 
the last view of friends — any one who has ever 
started on such a voyage knows' all about this. By- 
ron has truly said: 

"It is an awkward sight 
To see one's native land receding through 
The growing waters; it unmans one quite, 
Especially when life is rather new." 

He means, we imagine, when "life is rather new" 
in such experiences. A first ocean trip, surely, gives 
rise to sensations never before felt; but the effect on 
all persons is not always the same. For ourselves, 
we are free to admit that we were keenly sensible to 
the truth of the remarks of Madame de Stael, that 
"it becomes a much more -serious matter to quit one's 
country, when in going away it is necessary to cross 
the sea. Everything," she says, "is solemn in a 
voyage of which the ocean marks the first steps: it 
seems that an abyss opens behind you, and that the 
return may be forever impossible. Moreover, the 
sight of the sea always makes a profound impres- 
sion; it is the image of the Infinite which attracts 
the soul incessantly, and in which, without cessation, 
the soul appears to lose itself." 

If not deadened by nausea, on finding one's self on 
the broad bosom, of the ocean in a fair day, one expe- 
riences a feeling of exhilaration not easy to describe ; 
but nausea "unmans one quite," and any intellectual 
effort while in that state should be regarded with 



NEW YORK TO QUEENSTOWN. 3 

lenity, as it no doubt generally is, at least on ship- 
board. Hence, any little squib or original poetical 
effusion, after the dull monotony of a few days at 
sea, is quite likely to be received and passed around 
kindly; and it often serves, too, to open the way to 
acquaintanceship among the passengers. We se- 
cured some of these trifles which were perpetrated 
on our ship, and we will venture to reproduce them. 
In the afternoon of the day of embarkation the sea 
became rather rough, and it was less agreeable on 
the following day, which was raw, drizzly, and cold. 
We were now far out of sight of land, and the onty 
cheerful sight during the day was a little land bird 
which alighted on one of the yard-arms of the vessel. 
With somewhat of homesickness and disagreeable 
premonitions of another kind of malady not more 
pleasant, it was not surprising that the passengers 
were touched by the following impromptu lines to 
our sweet visitor: 

Welcome, dear birdie! welcome, I say! 
Tell me, dear birdie, com'st thou to stay? 
Tidings, what tidings bring' st thou to me, 
Of friends, our dear friends, far over the sea? 
Backward, fly quickly to where they all dwell, 
And tell them you saw us all sailing on well. 

The next was the following hymn, composed near 
the end of the week — our sailing day was Wednes- 
day — and it was sung to the tune of "God save the 
Queen," as a part of the religious services on Sunday: 

Father of Light and Love, 
High on Thy throne above, 

Give us Thine ear. 
All weak and powerless, we, 
Thy children on the sea, 
Would turn our thoughts to Thee, 

And nothing fear. 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



O, God, in Thee we trust, 
In Jesus' bosom must 

Our safety be; 
Then would we ever rest 
Our heads upon His breast — 
The haven e'er the best, 

On land or sea. 

O, take us safe to shore, 
Thy guidance we implore 

From day to day; 
To Thee our thanks we bring, 
Give us all hearts to sing 
The praises of our King, 

His will obey. 

One day, when the ocean was perfectly smooth, we 
were gratified with the sight of an iceberg of respect- 
able dimensions, covering, say, four or five acres in 
extent, not over a mile off; and we could just dis- 
cern several others, not probably as large, in the dis- 
tance. Whereupon was produced this impromptu 

ODE TO AN ICEBERG. 
Cold, silent sentinel of the vasty deep, 
Self-anchored on the great highway of life — 
" Life on the ocean wave " — what mean'st thou 
By thy stern, stolid look? and in thy rear 
Yet other glaciers, as if in reserve 
To serve the purpose of thine own intent. 
Cam'st thou in threatening guise and day serene 
To warn of dangers still ahead at night, 
O'ercast by cloud and storm? or standest thou 
As mark expressive of all danger past? 
Silent and cold thou art, and yet methinks 
I do discern in thy more softened air, 
As in review we take our leave of thee, 
That thou art really a sentinel of love. 

There was something in this which seemed to 
interest the first officer of the ship, for we observed' 
that he procured a copy of it. Such "silent sentinels " 



NEW YORK TO QUEENSTOWN. 



may well be the terror of "all that go down to the sea 
in ships;" and the wonder is that more vessels are 
not lost by coming in contact with them in the dark- 
ness of night and dense fogs such as one seldom fails 
to encounter in crossing the Atlantic, There is no 
doubt that many a ship with all on board is thus sud- 
denly sent to the bottom of the ocean, while the cause 
of its loss remains forever unknown. It is during 
such nights when one feels that at any moment he 
may be engulfed, that he hears at short intervals, 
in almost breathless silence, the fearful screeching 
of the steam-whistle and the sound of the bells which 
are kept ringing as an additional warning to other 
vessels to keep out of the way. On the other hand, 
there is a sensation of relief when, late in the night, 
the sound of the hour-bell strikes the ear, with the 
cheerful cry of the watchmen, "All 's well." It was 
in response to this feeling, doubtless, that the fol- 
lowing lines were penned, likewise by one of our 
passengers : 

"ALL'S WELL." 

List to the sound of bells, 
As on the air it swells, 
And in the darkness tells 

The hour of night; 
Then hear the watchmen's cry — 
On lookout to espy 
All dangers far and nigh — 

That all is right. 

The cheering words, "All 's well," 
All nervous fears dispel, 
And to our senses tell 

That safety reigns. 
Then sink we into rest, 
Lulled by the foamy crest 
Upon the ocean's breast, 

In somnous strains. 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



Now, when life's end is near, 
And all seems dark and drear, 
We breathless list to hear 

The last hour-bell; 
O, may the joyful word 
In silver tones be heard — 

" All's well." 

Well, it must be admitted that this is dealing- 
pretty extensively in rhymes, not to call them po- 
etry; but how is one better to indite an ocean epistle 
than to present a view of such small things as tran- 
spire in the monotony of the voyage? True, all this 
would be omitted in an account of a stormy and 
dangerous trip, where fearful exposure and hair- 
breadth escapes were the order of the day as well as 
night; but, happily, we were spared this experience. 
Toward the end of the trip, when the passengers 
began to get acquainted with one another, we had a 
sort of literary reunion, two or three evenings, in the 
dining saloon, where, we remember, we listened to 
pleasant speeches from Horatio Stone, Mr. Wana- 
maker, the celebrated Sunday School teacher from 
Philadelphia, and others; and we had charming sing- 
ing, also, by a Spanish Countess, as well as by Miss 
Edith Abell, who, with her mother, was on her way 
to Italy to study music, and of whose achievements 
in singing we have since heard very favorable ac- 
counts. Then, again, there were some quoit and 
other active games on deck during the day, and 
some card-playing among a few in the evening. 

All were delighted, when, on the early morning of 
the 21st of May, land was espied on the coast of Ire- 
land, and by five o'clock of the same day we our- 
selves and a few other passengers were safely landed 
at Queenstown, rejoiced to be once more on terra 
fir ma. The mails and some freight having also been 



QUEENSTOWN. 



transferred to the tender, bearing the British and 
American flags, our good ship, with most of our com- 
pagnons de voyage, immediately proceeded on her 
way to her destined port of Liverpool — a sail of some 
eighteen hours. 



CHAPTER II. 

/J\UEENSTOWN ? May 21.— What a rest to be 
. ^s^ on land again! and what a pleasant sight was 
the little village of Queenstown and its adjacent 
fields as we sailed into her snug harbor and waited 
for the tender to come and take us on shore. The 
land rises abruptly from near shore, and the village 
is situated on the sides of the hills facing the harbor. 
Much of the land seems fitted only for pasturage, 
covered here and there with patches of gorse, or 
furze, a thick, prickly shrub, now in full bloom, its 
flowers being of a bright yellow color. From a dis- 
tance the contrast between the deep green of the 
early grass and the yellow of these flowers was very 
striking, and with the white-painted houses of the 
scattered villages on the one hand and the strong 
fortification on the other, presented a landscape 
which has doubtless commanded the pencil of more 
than one artist. 

The custom-house officers were on the tender, and 
the luggage of the passengers was passed with little 
ceremony, so that soon after our arrival at the wharf 
we were ready to proceed directly to the railroad 
station, a distance of some thirty rods, where the 
train was shortly ready to take us to Cork. A num- 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



ber of Irish beggars, old and young, of both sexes, 
were ready on the wharf with their pressing appeals 
for alms, which, judging from their appearance, they 
were sadly in need of, for they were without shoes 
or stockings, and the few clothes they had on were 
extremely mean. 

We hurried on to the station, where we settled 
with the porters for bringing our luggage, and al- 
though we thought their charge rather high, we 
supposed it to be all right until one of our ship 
companions from New Orleans, a native or former 
resident of Dublin, made his appearance, and know- 
ing the legal rates for this service, informed us that 
we and all the passengers with us who had preceded 
him had been overcharged. He at once denounced 
the porters as rascals, when a police officer took the 
matter up and they made no hesitation in returning 
what they knew they had no right to charge. 

We were told that far the pleasantest way to Cork 
was by the steamboat on the river Lee, along which 
the scenery is said to be very beautiful; but there 
was to be no boat this evening, and we, therefore, 
took the cars, which, in a half hour's time, brought 
us to the city. Fine as the scenery may be on the 
river, it can hardly be more charming than on some 
parts of the route by rail. The country through 
which we passed is very fertile, and appeared to be 
in the highest state of cultivation. We saw several 
beautiful residences, the grounds of which were laid 
out in the most elegant manner. 

Cork, May 22. — Cork is situated on the north and 
south branches of the river Lee, which is spanned by 
many fine bridges. It presented a more cheerful 
aspect in every point of view than we expected to 
see. We anticipated seeing here large numbers of 



CORK. 9 

that poverty-stricken class of Irish people, so many 
of whom emigrate from Southern Ireland to the Uni- 
ted States, but of such we saw comparatively few 
(there might have been many in the suburbs,) while 
the great mass of citizens appeared to be well off 
and to enjoy life without complaint. Judging from 
what we saw in the short time we remained in the 
city, we came to the conclusion that every branch of 
trade was active and prosperous, as much so as in 
other seaport towns. We visited some of the church- 
es, in one of which we saw a remarkable statue of 
Christ. One was the church of the Holy Trinity, a 
handsome Gothic building, founded by Father Ma- 
thew, to whose memory a monument has been erected 
here, being a statue of himself upon a raised pedestal, 
and presenting an excellent likeness of him as we 
remember him on the occasion of his visit to Wash- 
ington. 

In company with six of our fellow passengers we 
made a visit to Blarney Castle by private carriages, 
going by one road and returning by another, the 
distance being about six miles — a most pleasant trip, 
affording charming views of Queen's College, Black 
Rock, the Heights of Glenmire and the Groves of 
Blarney. The ruins of the famous Blarney Castle 
consist mainly of a large square structure or tower 
one hundred and twenty feet in height, completely 
covered with ivy. The "Blarney Stone" is situated 
twenty feet below the summit in a detached position 
not easily reached, yet all visitors, ambitious to do a 
foolish thing, usually try to kiss it. If there is any 
merit in the act. it is perhaps in the courage shown 
to accomplish it; for without some person to assist 
you in maintaining your balance as you lie stretched 
at full length to reach the stone, you would be in 



10 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 






danger of falling and breaking your neck. However, 
the feat is attempted, oftener than otherwise, no 
doubt, "for the fun of the thing;" and for the timid 
there is on the ground floor another stone, easy of 
access, and said to possess all the wonderful qualities 
of the more noted block. 



CHAPTER III. 

gI^AKES OF KILLARNEY, May 24.— We came 
i^^ here in three hours, by rail, from Cork, on Sat- 
urday evening, the 22d. Our hotel is beyond the vil- 
lage of Killarney, on the margin of the principal lake. 
The situation is charming, but we have found the 
weather a little too cool to make the tour of the lakes. 
Sunday was to us a welcome day of rest, following so 
soon after our ten days on the ocean; but on Monday 
forenoon we rode eight miles, to Dunloe Gap and 
back, passing the ruins of Aghadoe and Dunloe Cas- 
tle, which is in good repair. We rode into the Gap 
to the end of the carriage road, followed by horsemen 
with their horses and saddles for hire through the 
Gap. Near the end of our journey, too, several 
brawny girls, barefoot and in short clothes, ran with 
the speed of a deer to keep up with our carriage, urg- 
ing us in the most persistent manner to buy their 
bunches of wild flowers. Here, also, we were prof- 
fered "mountain dew" and goat's milk by the grand- 
daughter of a celebrated character named Kate Kear- 
ney, who used to ply the same trade, and lived in a 
stone and mud house, which still serves as a shelter 
for her worthy descendant. Sufficiently toned up by 



KILLARNEY. 11 



the sharp mountain air which came dovm powerfully 
through the Gap, we were constrained to decline in- 
dulging in any of her " poteen;" nor did we patronize 
the two or three native artillerymen who were sta- 
tioned here, with small cannon, which, for a trifling 
fee, they fire with remarkable effect in respect to the 
echoes of the report in the mountains. 

In the afternoon we rode eight or ten miles through 
the beautiful grounds of Lord Kenmare and the Hon. 
Mr. Herbert, M. P., to the "Meeting of the Waters,;' 
where "the picturesque Dinish Island divides the 
stream. This spot is said to have been warmly ad- 
mired by Sir Walter Scott when he visited the lakes.'' 
There is a small inn or half-way house on the island, 
where refreshments can be obtained, and where fish- 
ing implements are kept for the use of visitors. On 
our way back we visited Muckross Abbey, a photo- 
graph of which is among our collection, and from the 
back of which we copy: "The well-known ruins of 
Muckross Abbey are situated in the beautiful de- 
mesne of Muckross, the property of Colonel Herbert, 
about two miles from the town of Killarney, and to 
the antiquary, as well as the general visitor, present 
considerable attractions. The Abbey was erected by 
the McCarthys, Princes of Desmond, for Franciscan 
friars, a. d. 1340. In 1602 it was reedified, and 
though ruin has resumed its sway, is still in a good 
state of preservation. The cloisters are the most 
perfect portion of the ruins, and consist of semi-cir- 
cular and twelve-pointed arches, overshadowed by 
the foliage of an immense yew tree, planted at the 
time of the erection of the Abbey, and whose trunk 
measures upward of ten feet in circumference. The 
chancel contains a fine east window, the tracery of 
which is still perfect. Here were also interred the 



12 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

remains of the O'Sullivans, the G'Donoughues, and 
the MacCarthy More, founder of the Abbey." We 
brought away with us, as keepsakes, some of the 
leaves of this famous old yew tree, which we regard- 
ed with special interest, not unmixed with a sort of 
reverence inspired by age. 

Killarney, with its lake and mountain scenery, and 
the highly-adorned estates of Lord Kenmare, Hon. 
Mr. Herbert, and other wealthy landlords, must be a 
charming summer resort. The lake — there is really 
only one — is in three parts; the lower and largest 
being six miles long and three wide. The upper lake 
is four miles long and two broad. On the side of one 
of the mountains is O'Sullivan's cascade, which has a 
fall of seventy feet, and opposite to this is Innisfallen 
Island, immortalized by Moore: 

"Sweet Innisfallen, fare thee well — • 

May calm and sunshine long be thine; 
How fair thou art let others tell, 
While but to feel how fair be mine. 

"Sweet Innisfallen, long shall dwell 

In memory's dream that sunny smile 
Which o'er thee on that evening fell 
When first I saw thy lairy isle." 

Dublin, May 25. — Leaving Killarney at 7 a. m., 
we have made good time to reach Dublin, one hun- 
dred and eighty -six miles, at 5-J- p. m., considering 
that we stopped two hours at Mallow for the connect- 
ing train from Cork. These two hours were agreea- 
bly passed in a walk through the town and a visit to 
the ruins of an old castle in the vicinity, the history 
of which we did not learn. It was once the strong- 
hold, no doubt, of some lord of the manor; but its 
crumbling walls are now covered with ivy, and the 
crows and other birds seemed to hold possession 



DUBLIN. 13 



The crows especially appear to be quite at home all 
along the route, and are very tame compared with 
their American cousins. Evidently they are igno- 
rant of the smell of gunpowder, or they would be 
more shy. It was a satisfaction to observe how 
freely and contentedly they appeared to enjoy life. 
The buoyant opening of spring, looking from a hu- 
man point of view, may have conduced somewhat 
toward this happy state of feeling; for in the words 
of Shelley — 

" 'T is now the season when the earth upsprings 
From slumber; as a shepherd angel's child, 
Shadowing its eyes with green and golden wings." 



CHAPTER IV. 

|> ELF AST, May 28, 8 o'clock p. M.-We are now 
on the steamer about to convey us to Greenock, 
where we are to take the cars for Glasgow. To go 
back to the solid-looking old city of Dublin, through 
the center of which runs the river Liffey, which is 
navigable only for small vessels, — Kingstown, six 
miles distant, is the principal harbor of Dublin, and 
the two cities are connected by a railroad. We 
reached Dublin on the 25th, and stopped until the 
morning of the 27th, visiting the principal places of 
interest, including some of the large mercantile hous- 
es famous for their poplins and Irish linens. We 
made two visits to Trinity College and its spacious 
lawns, where the students were flitting from one 
point to another in their square caps and long gowns, 
dreaming, no doubt, of distinguishing themselves — 



14 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

some in one way and some in another — hereafter. 
They were very polite to us in giving any informa- 
tion we desired. The college buildings are so ar- 
ranged as to form a large open square, in the center 
of which is the bell tower. In answer to a remark 
by us that it was a pity such fine buildings should 
look so dingy — for they are almost black — one of the 
students replied, "Oh, no, we wish they had a still 
older look." Connected with the college are fine 
play -grounds, where, after their daily studies, we 
saw large numbers of the students playing at ball, 
pitching quoits, and otherwise stirring their blood 
and strengthening their muscles by athletic exercises. 
At the main entrance to the college stand statues of 
Burke and Goldsmith, who were students here at the 
same time — about 1746. Oliver was rather a wild 
youth, and graduated without honors. It was in re- 
taliation for some jocular epitaphs written upon him 
by his literary associates long afterward that he 
wrote on his college companion: 

" Here lies our good Edmund, whose genius was such 
We scarcely can praise it or blame it too much; 
Who, born for the universe, narrow'd his mind, 

And to party gave up what was meant for mankind." 

In the college library are busts of many distin- 
guished Irish characters, among them Dean Swift's 
and those of some of his contemporaries. We saw 
here the first English Bible brought into Ireland. 
The museum is filled with interesting objects, of 
which we took note particularly of the harp of Brian 
Boru, of Irish fame, the charter-horn of King O'Kav- 
anagh, and the writing desk of Charles Lever, the 
novelist. 

The castle, which, like Trinity College, was found- 
ed by Queen Elizabeth, is another establishment of 



DUBLIN. 15 



great interest as the residence of the Lord Lieutenant 
of Ireland. In the grand entrance hall we found a 
company of soldiers with their muskets stacked, 
and the walls were covered with swords and other 
weapons arranged in ornamental style, various bat- 
tle-flags, etc. We went into the different state apart- 
ments, where, in the winter season, the Lord Lieu- 
tenant and his lady give splendid entertainments. 
The chapel, too, with its beautiful stained-glass win- 
dows, was well worth visiting. Represented upon 
these windows are the different arms of all the Lord 
Lieutenants of Ireland. 

The Bank of Ireland, formerly the Irish House of 
Parliament, is the most imposing structure, perhaps, 
in Dublin. It is situated in College Green, near 
Trinity College. The House of Lords remains un- 
changed, save that in the place of the throne there 
is a statue of George III. On either side of the hall 
is a large picture — the one representing the Battle 
of Boyne Water, and the other the Siege of Derry. 
The House of Commons is used for one of the offices 
of the bank. 

Of the churches we visited, St. Patrick's Cathedral 
was the most interesting, as containing numerous 
monuments to distinguished persons. Here rest the 
ashes of Dean Swift and of the "Stella" of his poetry 
— Mrs. Johnson. This cathedral was built in 1190, 
and dedicated to St. Patrick, who, in 448, himself 
erected a church on the same site where the cathe- 
dral now stands. It is related that while engaged 
in his mission of preaching to the Irish people he 
baptized the first converts to the Christian faith at a 
well which is still shown in the south transept of the 
cathedral. 

In company with two of our steamer companions. 



16 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



a jolly ride in a jaunting car to Phoenix Park and 
the Botanical Gardens took us through a good part 
of the city and by the monumental columns erected 
to Nelson and Daniel O'Connell. whose brother's 
beautiful estate we forgot to say we saw on our way 
between Cork and Killarney. Phoenix Park is a 
royal inclosure at the west end of the city, and em- 
braces an area seven miles in circumference. Situ- 
ated therein is the villa of the Viceroy, or Lord 
Lieutenant, the residence of the principal secretary, 
an obelisk to Wellington, two hundred feet high, the 
Hibernian schools, a salute battery, and the ammu- 
nition magazine. It is regarded as one of the most 
beautiful parks in the United Kingdom. We were 
delighted with our ride and what we saw. A jaunt- 
ing car is a curious vehicle — not seen, we imagine, 
anywhere out of Ireland. It is a box on two wheels, 
the seats for passengers running lengthwise over the 
wheels, with foot-boards to rest the feet upon. These 
seats each accommodate two persons, who, of course, 
must ride sideways, and there is room for one person 
with the driver in front. The only place for luggage, 
we believe, is on top between the passengers' seats. 
If you go for a carriage, look to be addressed some- 
thing in this wise: "I see yer honor and herself have 
a lanin' for the ould style; shure it's illigant and 
dacent, not like that baste of a furrin conthrivance 
beyant. Begorra, sir, I could lep over the likes of it 
wid this little mare — an' maybe I 'd thry!" 

We had another long ride of one hundred and 
eighty -six miles from Dublin, by Belfast, to Port 
Rush, on the 27th. On a good part of the way the 
country had much the appearance of hilly New Eng- 
land. It lacked only stone and post and rail fences, 
in place of the hedge fences, and more forests, to 



NORTHERN IRELAND. 17 

make the comparison quite perfect. On the low, 
swampy grounds workmen were engaged in spading 
up great quantities of peat, cutting it into pieces 
about the size and shape of a brick, and piling it up 
to dry. This serves for a large portion of the fuel 
consumed in Ireland. From the bog- wood found in 
these peat beds many articles of merchandise, such 
as canes, brooches, finger-rings, etc., are manufac- 
tured. They are quite ornamental — just as good, 
perhaps, while they last, but not quite as durable as 
silver and gold. 

After an indifferent table cT hote dinner we rested 
over night at the "Antrim Arms," lulled by the 
waves of the Northern Sea — for we were now almost 
at the extreme northern point of Ireland. Next 
morning we took a jaunting car for Giant's Cause- 
way, a distance of six miles, where we spent several 
hours and returned in time to take the train back to 
Belfast at 3i p. m. We had for our driver a witty 
Irishman, who said he had lived in the United States; 
and as he was well posted, he proved a very accepta- 
ble guide, pointing out and giving to us a history of 
all the prominent objects on the way. He appeared 
quite proud of having— I think the year before — 
had the honor of driving in his jaunting car over 
this route General Sherman and his aids, Colonels 
Audenreid and Fred. Grant. He was particularly 
delighted with the General's amiable condescension 
in so freely conversing with him — saying that he 
talked all the way. Among other things, he said 
the General was enthusiastic in pointing out the 
manner in which Port Rush might, by a short break- 
water from a group of islands off the coast to the 
main land, be made a most excellent harbor, capable 
of floating all the vessels in the world. The coast all 



18 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

along our road is very rocky, and with the ocean in 
full view one can hardly imagine a more romantic 
ride than we enjoyed. Two miles from the Cause- 
way we passed near the ruins of the Castle of Dun- 
luce, which stands upon an isolated rock one hun- 
dred feet above the level of the sea, and is connected 
with the main land by a bridge only some twenty 
inches wide. It was founded no one knows at what 
date, but is known to have once been the residence 
of the McQuillans, who claimed to trace their family 
back three thousand years, and to the city of Baby- 
lon, whence they left for Scotland. Although these 
ruins are spoken of as the most picturesque in the 
United Kingdom, we consider the Giant's Causeway 
as the one great sight of Ireland. Here is a promon- 
tory extending one thousand feet or more into the 
sea, and at low tide one may walk over the heads of 
basaltic pillars, numbering, it is said, not less than 
forty thousand. They are variously shaped — from 
triangular to nonagon, or nine sided — and are ar- 
ranged side by side with such perfect uniformity 
that one might fancy them to be the work of ingen- 
ious artificers; still it is questionable whether the art 
of man could rival the nicety with which each piece 
is fitted to the other. In one place there is what they 
call .the Wishing Chair — the projection of the pillars 
being such as to form a complete seat with back and 
arms. We were assured by an elderly Irish woman, 
who urged us to buy some of her "mountain dew," 
with a small quantity of water from the Giant's 
Well, another natural curiosity near by, that any 
wish made by us while sitting in this chair was cer- 
tain to be granted ! We accordingly tried it (not the 
mountain dew,) and, wonderful to tell, her assurance 
in our own case was most happily verified! Conse- 



BELFAST. 19 



quently, it would be very unbecoming in us, to 
say the least, to suggest any doubts on the subject. 
Other singular formations were pointed out to us — 
the Amphitheater Gateway, Chimney-tops, the Pul- 
pit, etc. In the side of a hill, further in shore, there 
is a series of pillars so arranged as to present the 
appearance, and they take the name, of the Giant's 
Organ; and near these is the "Giant's Grandmother, 
who was petrified for having three husbands at the 
same time." In the vicinity of the Causeway there 
are wonderful caves — one forty-five feet high and 
three hundred and fifty feet in length, and another 
seventy feet in height and six hundred feet long. 
They can be entered only by row-boats from the sea. 
A horse pistol discharged therein makes a report 
equal to that of a small field-piece in open space. 

We have seen little of Belfast, except what came 
within our view in going from the railroad depot to 
the steamboat landing, stopping at the Post Office, a 
fine building, in the anxious but disappointed hope 
of hearing from home. We saw enough, however, 
to satisfy us of what we already knew, that it is a 
handsome city, full of life and business activity. For 
two pence, the regular fee, the baggage - master at 
the depot took care of our trunk while we made our 
trip to the Giant's Causeway. 



20 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




CHAPTER V. 
LASGOW, June 1. — After a quiet night on the 



le 
steamer from Belfast we arrived in Glasgow at 
six o'clock on the morning of the 29th ultimo, having 
come by land from Greenock, where we took the 
railroad cars. We are pleased with everything about 
this city except the smoke, clouds and rain, which 
give it a decidedly gloomy character. We have 
scarcely had a sight of the sun here, and we are told 
that there is hardly a day in certain seasons of the 
year when it does not rain. The smoke from the 
furnaces on the Clyde constantly floats in thick vol- 
umes over the city, enveloping it in semi-darkness 
even when there are no other clouds to obscure the 
sun's rays. The city has a very solid appearance, 
the buildings generally looking as though they were 
built for all time. Most of the streets are of good 
width, and there is an abundance of pure water, 
brought through tunnels and aqueducts thirty-four 
miles from Loch Katrine, to keep it clean. The first 
steamer in Europe, we are told, was launched here 
in 1812. This is the native place of James Watts, 
who first demonstrated the power of steam, and in 
St. George's Square, a spacious and beautiful park, 
there is a bronze statue of him in a sitting posture 
and meditative mood. Here also are equestrian 
statues of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, statues 
of Lord Clyde, Richard Moore, Sir Robert Peel, and 
a lofty monument to Sir Walter Scott. On Sunday 
we attended church at the great Cathedral, which 
was founded in the twelfth century, and which is 
one of the grandest in Europe, being, perhaps, un- 
surpassed in respect especially to its stained -glass 



GLASGOW. 21 



windows. After church we took a walk through 
the adjacent cemetery, called the Necropolis, which 
rises in terraces to a considerable elevation, and is 
beautifully laid out. It is the burying-place of many 
distinguished persons, containing numerous costly 
monuments — the most conspicuous of which is one 
to John Knox, the reformer. On Monday we walked 
to Kelvin Grove Park and Museum in the west end of 
the city. This Park, containing some forty acres, is 
very beautiful, and facing it are some of the finest 
residences. In the Museum we saw a letter written 
by Lord Nelson, ordering dinner and wine, several 
letters from the Duke of Wellington, and one written 
by Robert Burns. Without favors to ask, we called 
on our consul, whose name, curiously enough, is Sam- 
uel L. Glasgow, and he and his wife returned our 
call at the Queen's Hotel. We found in them all we 
could desire as representatives of our country abroad 
— unaffected courtesy, ample knowledge of what 
they were required to do, and a willingness to give 
advice or to communicate any desired information. 

Of course, we have been to Ayr, which is forty 
miles by railroad from Glasgow. This took all of 
one day, which was full of enjoyment. Our route 
led us through Paisley, famous for its shawls of that 
name. Burns' cottage is two miles from the village 
of Ayr. We entered it with alacrity, devouring with 
our eyes every object that had ever met the vision of 
the rustic poet. Here, in a little recess in the side of 
the kitchen, just large enough to admit a bed, the 
immortal bard first drew breath. Here, too, were 
the candle-stand chairs, and the old-fashioned dress- 
er, plates and dishes, which were used by him. An 
old clock, the case of which reaches from floor to ceil- 
ing, likewise remains here, still counting the expir- 



22 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

ing hours since the moment when it noted the last 
beat of the poet's pulse. The window by the white- 
washed dresser consists of only four seven-by-nine 
squares of glass, and the front window is but double 
that size, while the fire-place is large and high 
enough to hold an eighth of a cord of wood. The 
other room of the original cottage was also shown 
to us. This was the parlor or sitting-room, and 
here, also, some of the old furniture is yet preserved. 
The old one-story Alloway Kirk is situated about 
two miles from the cottage. Only the four walls, 
with bell-tower and bell, remain standing. It is in a 
cemetery, flanked on both sides by grave-stones — 
some of which mark the graves of Burns' father, 
mother, and sister; and here, too, we were assured, 
rest the ashes of jolly Tarn O'Shanter and Souter 
Johnny. 

"O, Tarn, had'st thou but been sau wise 
As ta'en thy am wife Kate's advice! 
She tauld thee weel thou wast a skellum, 
A blethering, blustering, drunken bleilum; 
That frae November till October 
Ae market day thou was nae sober; 
That ilka melder wi' the miller 
Thou sat as lang as thou had siller; 
That ev'ry naig was ca'd a shoe on, 
The smith and thee gat roaring fou on; 
That at the Lord's house, ev'n on Sunday, 
Thou drank wi' Kirkton Jean till Monday. 
She prophesy' d that, late or soon, 
Thou would be found deep drown'd in Doon; 
Or catch'd wi' warlocks i' the mirk 
By Alloway *s auld haunted Kirk." 

Near by the Kirk we stopped at the well "where 
Mungo's mither hang'd hersel';" and proceeding a 
short distance from the cemetery we came to the 
handsome monument erected to the memory of 



AYR. 23 

Burns. It is about sixty feet high, surrounded by 
nine Corinthian columns, thirty feet high, support- 
ing a cupola which is surmounted by a gilt tripod. 
It is within an inclosure charmingly ornamented 
with trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers, and there is 
an admission, fee of one or two pence. Here we 
were shown a portrait of Burns, the Bible he pre- 
sented to his Highland Mary, and a snuff-box made 
from the wood of Alloway Kirk. Here, too, are 
kept for sale various articles constructed from wood 
grown in the vicinity; and no visitor, we imagine, 
departs without securing some of these choice me- 
mentos. In a grotto here we saw Thorn's famous 
statues of Tarn O'Shanter and Souter Johnny, which 
were exhibited to admiring crowds in the United 
States about forty years ago. Nothing could more 
truthfully represent this scene : 

" Ae market night 
Tarn had got planted unco right, 
Fast by an ingle, bleezing finely, 
Wi' reaming swats, that drank divinely; 
And at his elbow Souter Johnny, 
His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony; 
Tarn lo'ed him like a vera brither; 
They had been fou for weeks thegither. 
The night drave on wi' sangs and clatter; 
And ay the ale was growing better: 
The landlady and Tarn grew gracious, 
Wi' favours secret, sweet, and precious: 
The Souter tauld his queerest stories: 
The landlord's laugh was ready chorus: 
The storm without might rair and rustle, 
Tarn did na mind the storm a whistle." 

Hard by are "the banks and braes o' bonnie Doon," 
and we watched its rippling waters from the "auld 
brig o' Doon," whose substantial stone abutments 
and arch look as though they might defy the rav- 



24 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

ages of time. The "two brigs/' also immortalized 
by the poet, are nearer the village of Ayr, on our 
way to which, near Paisley, an ancient oak was 
pointed out to us as the one under which Wallace is 
said to have hid from the English forces. We also 
passed Eglinton Castle; but the great interest of our 
trip to-day centers in Burns and the place where he 
lived and died. An indefinable charm seems to be 
imparted even to the leaves gathered as keepsakes 
from under the window of his humble cottage and 
around his tomb. As we walked over the same 
ground he used to tread, imagination carried us 
back fourscore and ten years to the time of his 
death, and we felt like exclaiming with Roscoe: 

" Rear high thy bleak, majestic hills, 

Thy sheltered valleys proudly spread, 
And, Scotia, pour thy thousand rills, 

And wave thy heaths with blossoms red; 
But, ah! what poet now shall tread 

Thy airy heights, thy woodland reign, 
Since he, the sweetest bard, is dead, 

That ever breathed the soothing strain ? " 



CHAPTER VI. 

QJ^DINBURGH, June 2. — Sending our baggage 
<^^i direct by mail from Glasgow to this city, we 
started yesterday morning on the northern route, by 
the way of the lakes — the Trosachs and Stirling — 
and reached here the same day about 10 o'clock p. 
M. , at which hour we could still see to read easily by 
twilight. We came first by train thirty miles to 
Ballock, at the foot of Loch Lomond, where we took 



LAKES OF SCOTLAND. 25 

the steamer Rob Roy, and sailed nearly the length 
of the lake, in which there are thirty -three islands, 
to Inversnaid, where a huge coach, ascended by a 
ladder, was in waiting to take us five miles over a 
romantic road to Stronachlacher, on Loch Katrine. 
Here is a small inn, and as we had a half hour 
before the steamer could return to take us over the 
lake, we strolled into the pasture among the ferns 
and heather to obtain a near view of Rob Roy's 
house, which stands back a little distance from the 
lake. Here in these highlands was his stronghold, 
better than a fortress. From this point the steamer 
was about one hour in going to the eastern end of 
the lake, where, passing near Ellen's Isle, we landed 
in a sort of rustic arbor charming to behold. We 
were fortunate in having a pleasant day for this 
trip. The lakes were almost as smooth as glass, 
and, mirror-like, reflected the landscape so perfectly 
that it was sometimes impossible to discover the 
dividing line between the real and the shadow. The 
view from the steamer of the rugged mountains of 
Ben Lomond and Ben Venue to the" north could not 
have been better. Another coach ride of eight or 
ten miles through the Trosachs and along by Loch 
Vennachar brought us to Callander, the terminus of 
the railroad from Stirling. Our driver was dressed 
in a red coat and white silk hat, so that he was not 
likely to be taken for one of the passengers, of 
whom there were enough — all English but ourselves 
— to fill the coach. As on the previous coach, we 
were all seated on top, the inside being for luggage; 
and as we were driven through the woods up over 
the heath-covered highlands, where flocks of sheep 
were quietly grazing, the picture thus presented was 
worthy of the pencil of an artist. Taking the cars 



26 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



at Callander, which is a small village scattered for 
a mile or more along the highway, we were soon at 
Stirling, where we stopped two hours to see the old 
Castle, cemetery, and other objects of interest. This 
Castle is famous as the ancient residence of the Kings 
of Scotland, and of Mary, Queen of Scots. It is now 
used as a barrack for soldiers, and we had for our 
guide an old veteran who told us all about it. He 
took us into the room in which James II. assassi- 
nated William, Earl of Douglas, because he had 
refused to cease his opposition to him, and the King's 
attendants threw his body out of the window. Next 
to this is the small room, called the Secret Chamber, 
which we also entered, where witnesses were secre- 
ted to listen and betray. We likewise visited the 
Chapel connected with the Castle, where Mary was 
crowned Queen of Scots; and from the top of the 
Castle we looked through a hole in the wall where 
she used to sit concealed and witness the feats of 
the Knights of the Round Table in their tournaments 
on the lawn below. This lawn, laid out for some 
game, is still kept in that shape. From the walls 
of the Castle we could see the field where the great 
battle of Bannockburn was fought, and eleven other 
battle-fields. In one room we saw the pulpit, chair, 
and communion-table of John Knox, a Bible two 
hundred years old, and in another room some of 
the old crown jewels and many other interesting 
relics. The old church in which James VI. was 
crowned, and John Knox preached his coronation 
sermon, was likewise an object of special interest. 
This is at the entrance of the cemetery, through 
which we wandered, reading the curious inscriptions 
on the tombstones and monuments. One of these 
monuments consists of a marble group of three fig- 



STIRLING. 27 



ures on a circular pedestal covered with glass. One 
of the figures represents a maiden, seated with the 
Bible in her lap; at her feet sits a more youthful 
maiden, and behind them stands an angel — with 
wings, of course. From this very unique monument 
we copied the following: 

" Margaret, Virgin martyr of the 033.111 wave, with her like-minded 
sister Agnes. 

"Through Faith, Margaret Wilson, a youthful maiden, cho.se rather to 
depart and be with Christ than to disown His holy cause and covenant to 
own Erastian Usurpation and conform to Prelacy enforced by cruel laws. 
Bound to a stake within flood-mark of the Sol way tide, she died a Martyr's 
death, on nth May, 1685. 

"Love many waters cannot quench — God saves 
His chaste, impearled One! in covenant true. 
O, Scotia's Daughters! earnest scan the Page 

And prize this Flower of Grace, blood-bought for you." 

On an eminence called the Abbey Craig, three 
hundred feet high, near the city of Stirling, and near 
where the battle of Stirling was fought in 1297, stands 
a handsome monument to Wallace. This monument, 
being two hundred and twenty feet in height above 
its base, is seen from a long distance. From Stirling 
to Edinburgh one may go either by steamer or rail ; 
and as the more speedy mode we chose the latter. 

Through the kind introduction and advice of our 
consul at Glasgow, we find ourselves at a nice private 
boarding-house, 22 York place, kept by the Misses 
Thompson, and where our consul for Edinburgh, 
John T. Robeson, Esq., also boards. It is in a cen- 
tral position, a short distance only from Princess 
street — which is the Broadway of Edinburgh — and 
the Scott monument. We prefer it to a hotel. To- 
day ;yve have visited the Edinburgh Castle, which is 
on a high ledge, so precipitous that it is accessible 
only from the eastern side. On one occasion, how- 



28 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



ever, in 1313, history tells us that it was recovered 
from the English by the Earl of Moray, assisted by 
thirty men, who, in the darkness of night, scaled the 
western precipice, guided by one of their number, 
"who had been in the habit of descending and re- 
ascending the cliff surreptitiously to pay court to his 
mistress." In the crown room, within a grated in- 
cisure, we saw the insignia of Scottish royalty, con- 
sisting of a crown, scepter, and sword of state, and 
with them is the Lord Treasurer's rod of office — all 
which had been concealed in an oak chest in 1707, and 
not discovered until 1818. The most attractive point 
here is Queen Mary's room, where her son, James VI., 
was born, and when only six days old was let down 
from a window of his room in a basket, to be taken 
to a place of greater safety. It makes one dizzy to 
look from this window to the ground. A remarkable 
portrait of Queen Mary hangs in this room, and on 
the wall, surmounted by the Scottish arms, is the 
following inscription : 

" Lord Jesu Chryst that crounit was with Thornes, 
Preserve the Birth, quhais Badgie Heir is borne, 
And send Hir Sonne successione, to Reigne stille, 
Lang in this Realme, if that it be Thy will. 
Als grant, O Lord, quhat ever of Hir proceed, 
Be to Thy Honer, and Praise sobied. 
19th IVNII, 1566." 

In this chamber Queen Mary's bedstead, and one 
of her chairs in which we had the honor of sitting, 
still remain. 

On the bomb battery lies dismounted a gigantic 
cannon, called "Mons Megs," capable of discharging 
a twenty-inch ball. It was made of thick iron bars 
hooped together, at Mons, in Brittany, and was em- 
ployed at the siege of Norham Castle, in 1513. In 1684 






EDINBURGH. 29 



it was removed to the Tower of London, where it was 
regarded as a most interesting relic until 1829, when 
it was restored to the Castle. It burst in 1682, while 
being used in firing a salute to the Duke of York. 

On our way from the Castle we gazed with strange 
interest upon the " Heart of Mid Lothian" — the form 
of a heart set in the cobble-stone pavement on the 
spot where stood the old Tolbooth, in which Effie 
Deans was incarcerated, and where the Porteous 
mob, so vividly described in Scott's ''Heart of Mid 
Lothian," took place. A little further on, in a lower 
part of the city, we came to the house of John Knox, 
which is a very old and odd-looking affair; but three 
rooms — the sitting-room, bed-room and study — are 
all that are shown to visitors. It was provided for 
him when he was elected Minister of Edinburgh in 
1559, and he occupied it, with some interruptions, 
from 1560 until his death in 1572. Over the door is 
the following inscription: 

LUFE.GOD.ABOVE.ALL.AND.YOUR. 
NEIGHBOUR.AS.YOUR.SELF. 

Under the window, from which it is said he used to 
address the populace, is an effigy of him in the atti- 
tude of speaking. 

Continuing our walk along this part of the old 
town, called "The Canongate, " we came to the 
house now, or lately, used as a printing office, in 
which Boswell, the biographer of Johnson, resided, 
and in which he received Johnson in 1773. Opening 
from Longmarket street is a narrow alley called 
"Lady Stair's Close," in which is laid the scene of 
Sir Walter Scott's romantic story, "My Aunt Marga- 
ret's Mirror." Over the doorway of the house de- 
scribed in the story is the inscription: "Fear the 
Lord and depart from evil." 



30 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




EDINBURGH CASTLE AND SCOTT MONUMENT. 



EDINBURGH. 31 



CHAPTER VII. 

j]^DINBURGH ? June 8.-We have had a week's 
(c^H delightful enjoyment in old Edinburgh and 
vicinity, going one day a few miles out of town to 
visit Roslin Castle, only the ruins of which remain. 
The Chapel near by, however, has been preserved, 
and is much admired for its exquisite architecture, 
including what is called the "Apprentice's Pillar/' 
which has been reproduced in plaster in the South 
Kensington Museum, London. Nothing could be 
more charming than the scenery surrounding the 
Castle, and through Hawthornden, the home of the 
poet Drummond in the the time of Shakspeare. 

"Here, too, are labyrinthine paths 
To caverns dark and low, 
Wherein, they say, King Robert Bruce 
Found refuge from his foe." 

Edinburgh is conspicuous not only for its solid stone 
edifices, but also for its monuments. In Parliament 
Square is a fine equestrian statue of Charles II. In 
one street are statues of Pitt, George IV., John, the 
fourth Earl of Hoptonn, and a column, one hundred 
and thirty-six feet in height, to Lord Melville, sur- 
mounted with his statue; and, then, on Calton Hill 
are Nelson's monument, two hundred feet in height, 
Dugald Stewart's monument, and an unfinished na- 
tional monument, after the style of the Parthenon, 
erected in honor of the heroes of Waterloo. Besides 
these monuments on Calton Hill, which overlooks 
the city, there is an observatory from which a splen- 
did view is had of the surrounding country, em- 
bracing Arthur's Seat, Lammermoor, and Pentland 
Hills. 



32 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

"Traced like a map the landscape lies 

In cultured beauty stretching wide; 
There Pentland's green acclivities, 

There ocean with its azure tide, 
There Arthur's Seat — and, gleaming through 
The eastern wing, Dun Edin blue; 
While in the orient Lammer's daughters — 

A distant giant range — are seen 

North Berwick Law, with cone of green, 
And bass amid the waters." 

But the most graceful monument, perhaps, in Europe 
is that to Sir Walter Scott in Princess street garden. 
It takes two hundred and eighty-seven steps to reach 
its top. Under the canopy is a statue of Sir Walter 
in a sitting posture, his faithful dog by his side. 
The niches are filled from characters in Scott's nov- 
els, such as Prince Charles, Meg Merrilies, the Lady 
of the Lake, and the Last Minstrel. At a short 
distance from this monument is a bronze statue of 
John Wilson, (Christopher North,) and a little fur- 
ther on is a white marble statue of Allan Ramsay. 

In the Canongate churchyard we saw the stones 
that mark the graves of Adam Smith, author of 
the ''Wealth of Nations," Dugald Stewart, David 
Allan, artist, and Ferguson, the poet. That over 
the grave of Ferguson was erected by Robert Burns, 
"to remain forever sacred to the memory of Robert 
Ferguson, born September 5, 1751, died October 16, 
1774," to which record are added these lines: 

" No sculptured marble here, nor pompous lay; 
No storied urn, nor animated bust — 
This simple stone directs pale Scotia's way 
To pour her sorrow o'er her poet's dust." 

The White House Inn, now in a dilapidated con- 
dition, is another object of curiosity, as the house 
where Dr. Johnson put up when he visited Edinburgh 



EDINBURGH. 33 



in 1773, and where he met that "unlucky specimen 
of Scottish cleanliness" referred to by Boswell: "He 
asked to have his lemonade made sweeter, upon 
which the waiter, with his greasy fingers, lifted up 
a lump of sugar and put it into it. The Doctor, in 
indignation, threw it out of the window." This re- 
minds one of Daniel Webster's throwing overboard 
his tooth-brush, greatly to the surprise of a "green- 
horn" fellow-passenger, who had requested merely 
the loan of it — which was granted! 

The large Gallery of paintings and extensive Mu- 
seum here afforded us much pleasure. So, likewise, 
the view of the Parliament House and Library, St. 
Giles' Church, and a ramble on Calton Hill. On a 
Sunday we listened to what we thought a rather dry 
sermon from the writer of hymns, Horatius Bonar, 
who is pastor of a small church in the suburbs of the 
city. He is about sixty, and resembles Martin Van 
Buren at that age. In the evening we heard the 
Rev. Dr. Alexander, a more distinguished divine. 

In Holyrood Palace, "the ancient residence of 
Scottish royalty," we were brought again, as we 
could but feel, very near the unfortunate Queen 
Mary. We first entered the picture Gallery, "upon 
the walls of which are suspended De Witt's fanciful 
portraits of one hundred and six Scottish Kings in a 
style of art truly barbarous, an interesting portrait 
of Mary, Queen of Scots, excepted. " There are also 
other portraits of more or less historical interest. 
We were next shown the rooms of Lord Darnley, in 
which, among other portraits, are one of the youth- 
ful Lord Darnley, and one of his brother. From 
these rooms is a private stairway leading to the 
Queen's rooms above. Next we came to the tapestry 
room, the walls of which are hung with old tapestry; 
3 



34 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and in one of the rooms we saw the bedstead of 
Charles I. The large, old fire-places in some of the 
rooms are very curious. Queen Mary's apartments 
were the most interesting. It is said they remain in 
nearly the same state as when she left them. In her 
bed-room are her bed and other ancient furniture. 
"On one side of the room is the door of the secret 
passage by which the conspirators entered, and ad- 
joining is the cabinet or closet where they found their 
victim, Rizzio. It is said that he was dragged out 
from this to the door of the audience chamber, where 
he was finally dispatched, and the exact spot where 
the body lay is identified by marks of blood, still visi- 
ble," and which we saw. Another account states 
that Lord Darnley, "who himself headed the con- 
spirators, first entered, and casting his arm fondly 
round the Queen's waist, seated himself beside her at 
table. Lord Ruthven followed in complete armor, 
looking pale and ghastly, as one scarcely recovered 
from long sickness. Others crowded in after them, 
till the closet was full of armed men. While the 
Queen demanded the purpose of their coming, Rizzio, 
who saw that his life was aimed at, got behind her 
and clasped the folds of her gown, that the respect 
due to her person might protect him. The assassins 
threw down the table and seized on the unfortunate 
object of their vengeance, while Darnley himself 
took hold of the Queen and forced Rizzio and her 
asunder. It was their intention, doubtless, to have 
dragged Rizzio out of Mary's presence, and to have 
killed him elsewhere; but their fierce impatience hur- 
ried them into instant murder. George Douglas, a 
natural brother of the Earl of Morton, set the exam- 
ple by striking Rizzio with the dagger which he had 
snatched from Darnley's belt. He received many 






EDINBURGH. 



other blows. They then dragged him through the 
bedroom and anteroom, and dispatched him at the 
head of the staircase with no less than fifty -six 
wounds. The Queen continued to beg his life with 
prayers and tears; but when she learned that he was 
dead, she dried her tears and said: 'I will now study 
revenge. ' " 

From the Queen's apartments we descended to the 
Chapel, which was founded in 1128, and is now in 
beautiful ruins — the walls only remaining. On a 
tablet in the wall is the following inscription, placed 
there at the instance of Charles I. : 

BASILICAM HANC, SEMI RUTANI, 

CAROLUS REX, 

OPTIMUS INSTAVRAVIT, 

1633- 

He shall build ane house for my name, and I will stablish 

the throne of His kingdom forever. 

In the belfry tower is a marble monument to Lord 
Belhaven, (1639,) and in one corner of the Abbey "is 
the royal vault, in which are deposited the remains 
of David II. , James II. , James V. , and Magdalen, his 
Queen; Henry, Lord Darnley, and other illustrious 
persons." Rizzio's grave and the tombs of many 
others of the Scottish nobility are located in different 
parts of the Abbey. While examining the inscrip- 
tions on these old tombs we were happily surprised 
at the appearance of a friend from Washington, Mr. 
J. H. Wilkinson, of the Treasury Department, who, 
about to return home, kindly offered to report in per- 
son to our friends on his arrival. 

Rising immediately from Holyrood Palace, which 
is on the eastern edge of the city, Arthur's Seat, 
eight hundred and twenty-two feet in height, is con- 
spicuous; and one fine day we walked to its rocky 



36 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

summit, taking our lunch (cakes and sparkling lem- 
onade, purchased there of a Scotchwoman,) and sat 
on the highest point of the ledge — dangerous of as- 
cent and descent, except to youthful persons like our- 
selves. It was a day never to be forgotten. Far 
below us, around the' brow of the cliff, is the Queen's 
Drive. This walk took us to the very spot where 
Jennie Deans is represented to have met with the ruf- 
fian Robertson, and along the foot-path or Salisbury 
Crags, past the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel, only 
small sections of the walls of which remain, and also 
by St. Anthony's Well, from which we quenched our 
thirst, and which is thus alluded to in an old song: 

"Now, Arthur's Seat shall be my bed, 

The sheets shall ne'er be pressed by me; 
St. Anton's Well shall be my drink, 
Since my true love 's forsaken me." 

This Well is very shallow, being only a common 
spring of good, pure water, gushing up from beneath 
a large boulder on the hillside. "The path along 
Salisbury Crags," says Sir Walter Scott, "used to be 
my favorite evening and morning resort when en- 
gaged with a favorite author or new subject of 
study." 

In the Antiquarian Museum, among all sorts of 
Egyptian antiquities, we saw various instruments 
of punishment and torture formerly used in Scot- 
land; for instance, the "branks," an iron instrument 
to fasten on the head "as a correction of incorrigible 
scolds;" the "thumbikins," used against the Cov- 
enanters; and the "maiden," or Scottish guillotine, 
by which many of the Scottish nobility were be- 
headed. Here, also, is the repentance stool from 
old Grayfriars' Church; John Knox's pulpit from 
that church; the stool which the celebrated Jenny 



. 



MELKOSE. 37 



Geddes hurled at the head of the Dean of St. Giles' 
when he essayed, on one occasion, to read the Litur- 
gy; a banner of the covenant, used in the battle of 
Both well Brig in 1679; autographs of Queen Mary, 
James VI., Charles I., Cromwell; and many other 
relics. It might be tiresome to further particularize. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

(^jlgONDON, June 12.— We left Edinburgh at 3 
-^^ p. m. on the 8th instant for Melrose, where 
we stopped over night at the " King's Arms." We 
arrived in time to visit Melrose and Dryburgh Ab- 
beys before sundown; and in the evening we had 
the pleasure of viewing Melrose Abbey by "pale 
moonlight" — certainly a beautiful picture. Dry- 
burgh Abbey is about five miles from Melrose, and 
in going there we had to leave our carriage near 
the end of our route and walk the rest of the way, 
crossing the Tweed on a foot toll bridge. Only 
some sections of the walls of this Abbey remain 
standing. In the best preserved part of the building 
are the tombs of Sir Walter Scott, his wife, his 
eldest son, and Lockhart, his son-in-law and bi- 
ographer. The site on the banks of the Tweed is 
both beautiful and picturesque. Sir Walter's re- 
mains were deposited here by his special request, 
and we have a photograph showing the exact posi- 
tion of these tombs in the ruins. Near by is a 
colossal statue of Wallace. Melrose Abbey is better 
preserved than Dryburgh, some portions of it being 
yet under roofs. Many of the royal families of 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



Scotland had this for their burial place, and the 
body of Alexander II. and the heart of Robert Bruce 
here found their last resting-place. The Monks' 
Walk is said to have been a favorite resort of Sir 
Walter Scott. 

On the following morning we were driven three 
miles to Abbottsford, Sir Walter Scott's large man- 
sion, and were shown through the house. It is 
finely situated on the Tweed. His study, we were 
assured, remains very nearly as he left it. It is a 
small room, containing his books of reference in 
galleries on two sides, his writing-desk, arm-chair, 
and other furniture. The library is much larger, 
and is said to contain 20,000 volumes. What most 
interested us here were the clothes he last wore — 
a broad -brimmed, white fur hat, plaid pantaloons, 
striped vest, thick leather shoes, and gaiters. A 
cast of his head taken after his death also attracted 
our special attention. In one room, called the armo- 
ry, are numerous weapons and other curiosities, 
among which are Rob Roy's musket, bearing the 
initials R. M. C; a sword presented by Charles I. 
to the Marquis of Montrose; a hunting-flask of James 
VI. ; Roman spears; two pistols found in Napoleon's 
carriage after the battle of Waterloo, supposed to 
have belonged to him; the huge key of the old Tol- 
booth at Edinburgh; and an axe presented by Wash- 
ington Irving. In a case are a large number of 
valuable presents of various kinds from distinguished 
persons. In the dining-room and library are many 
handsome portraits and pictures, among them a por- 
trait of Sir Walter's eldest son, represented as a 
dragoon standing by his horse, and another of Crom- 
well. In the drawing-room we saw an ebony chair, 
presented by George IV. 



. 



STRATFOKD - ON - AVON. 39 



Bidding adieu to Melrose, we took the express 
train at half past eleven a. m. and reached Leam- 
ington, via Carlisle, Lancaster, Crew, Stafford, Rug- 
by, and Kenilworth, by ten p. m. Leamington is 
quite a summer resort, and is probably the best 
place to stop for the purpose of visiting Kenilworth 
and Warwick Castles and Stratford -on -Avon. It 
is ten miles from here to Shakspeare's birth-place, 
and we went there the next day, taking Warwick 
on our way back. We passed one or two hours in 
Shakspeare's house, which looks just as represented 
by the pictures we often see of it. It is a very rough 
structure, coarser inside even than on the exterior. 
The old kitchen fire-place takes up a great part of 
one side of the room, which has a stone floor. The 
rough-plastered walls and ceilings of the rooms are 
scribbled over with the names of visitors — a fashion 
of leaving one's card which was prohibited many 
years ago. The small window-panes are scratched 
in like manner, and on one of them we read the 
name " : W. Scott," showing that Sir Walter approved 
of the fashion. In one of the chambers there is a 
portrait of Shakspeare, said to be authentic. The 
engraved likenesses we see of him, we should think, 
were taken from it. One or two of the larger rooms 
are devoted to a Shakspearian museum, which con- 
tains many most interesting relics, of which, among 
some of the most prominent, are the following: Deed 
made in 1596, proving that John Shakspeare, the 
father of the poet, resided in this house; the letter 
from Richard Quyney to Shakspeare, in 1589, asking 
for a loan of £ 30, the only letter addressed to Shaks- 
peare known to exist; Shakspeare's gold signet ring, 
with the initials W. S. and a true - lover's knot be- 
tween; his ancient desk from the grammar school; 



40 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



jubi- 



his jug, from which Garrick sipped wine at the jubi- 
lee in 1769; a specimen from an original copy of the 
" Merry Wives of Windsor;" a sword, said to have 
belonged to Shakspeare, and a sign of the Falcon 
Inn, where he is said to have imbibed too freely. 
From a curiously printed old pamphlet, containing 
his portrait and one of his plays, we copied the fol- 
lowing, attributed to Ben Jonson : 

"IT) THE READER. 

"This figure that thou seest put, 

It was for gentle Shakspeare cut; 
Wherein the Grauer had a strife 

With Nature to outdoo the life: 
O, could he have but drawne his wit 

As well in brasse, as he hath hit 
His face, the print would then surpasse 

All that was ever writ in brasse. 
But since he cannot, Reader looke 

Not on his Picture, but his Booke. B. I." 

Hanging framed in the museum is the following 
verse, written by Lucien Bonaparte during his visit 
here many years ago : 

"The eye of genius glistens to admire 
How memory hails the sound of Shakspeare' s lyre; 
One tear I '11 shed to form a crystal shrine 
For all that's grand, immortal, or divine." 

From Shakspeare's house we walked to the old 
church on the banks of the Avon, where he was 
buried. His grave and that of his wife are in the 
chancel, and over his is a plain slab bearing these 
lines cut in old Roman letters : 

"Kind Friend, for Jesus sake forbeare 
To dig the dust enclosed heare; 
Blest be the man yt spares thes stones, 
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones." 

In the side wall above is a Latin inscription and a 



WARWICK CASTLE. 41 



bust of Shakspeare. The sexton showed us an old 
parchment book, in which we read the record of the 
birth of William Shakspeare, April 23, 1564; of his 
baptism, April 26, 1564; and of his death, April 23, 
1616. This unpretending building, called the Church 
of the Holy Trinity, dates back to the eleventh cen- 
tury. We passed, without entering, the Red Horse 
Hotel, celebrated as the house where Washington 
Irving put up when he was here. 

Warwick Castle, the residence of the Earl of War- 
wick, is a noble structure, and is kept in good repair. 
The rooms shown to visitors are filled with a great 
variety of rare and curious things, including costly 
inlaid tables, one of which is valued at $50,000; wea- 
pons of various descriptions — a gun -barreled re- 
volver made two hundred years before Colt ever 
thought of such a thing; a valuable collection of 
paintings, etc. We saw in the porter's lodge some 
of the most wonderful things which belonged to 
Guy, the giant Earl of Warwick, (tenth century,) 
who measured eight feet, eleven inches from head to 
foot, and whose breast-plate weighs fifty pounds, his 
shield thirty pounds, and his two-handed sword, 'five 
feet, five inches long, twenty pounds. His tilting 
spear, halberd, chain coat-of-mail, cane, and horse's 
armor are likewise preserved here; also, his porridge- 
pot, or punch-bowl, made of bell metal, said to hold 
one hundred and two gallons. Here, too, are cannon 
balls which were fired at the Castle by Cromwell 
We have a fine photograph of this old Castle as we 
viewed it from a bridge over the Avon, which runs 
at the base of the rock on which the Castle is built. 

On the 11th we took the train, five miles, to Kenil- 
worth, and walked along the country road, enjoying 
the scenery, to Kenilworth Castle, about one mile 



42 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and a half beyond. The ruins of this famous old 
Castle are scattered over an extent of an eighth of a 
mile or more, and the only part inhabitable is what 
is called the Gate House, a building one or two hun- 
dred feet square with four towers. Here the keeper 
resides with his family. The detached portions are 
every where covered with ivy. Originally there was 
"a pool, containing one hundred and eleven acres, 
well stocked with fish," and its waters could be let 
into the moat, sections of which still exist, around 
the Castle. The Park, in which this pool or lake was 
located, but which, was drained in the time of Crom- 
well, contained a large extent of territory with for- 
ests well stocked with deer and other game. It was 
in this Castle that the Earl of Leicester, in 1575, 
entertained Queen Elizabeth and her Court seven- 
teen days at a cost of $85,000, a pretty large sum in 
that period. 

On the morning of the 12th we left Leamington 
for London, stopping over one train to visit the Col- 
leges of Oxford, of which there are nineteen in all, 
called collectively, the University of Oxford. From 
our carriage our guide informed us of the names of 
the various Colleges, all the buildings of which look 
very dingy. In one of them, specially noted on that 
account, Cromwell kept his horses. In the Bodleian 
Library we were greatly interested in several very 
ancient books and manuscripts shown to us. This 
Library is said to contain 240,000 volumes; and there 
is also a picture Gallery here, where we saw what is 
considered one of Van Dyck's oldest and best pic- 
tures. In the Museum, among other interesting 
relics, we saw the lantern carried by Guy Fawkes 
when he undertook to blow up the British Parlia- 
ment buildings. 



LONDON. 43 



_ 

Leaving behind Oxford and its history of a thou- 
sand years, at 5 p. m., we are in still more ancient 
uidon — a world immediately before us. 



CHAPTER IX. 

|OKDON, June 16.— After enjoying for a few 
1 days the elegant hospitalities of an English 
family whose urgent invitation to make them a visit 
we found it hard to decline, we are settled down in 
a private boarding house on Queen's Road, in Bays- 
water West, near the Royal Oak, and two minutes' 
walk from Kensington Park. We are likewise with- 
in one minute's walk of a station of the Metropolitan 
Underground Railway, by which we can go to al- 
most any part of the city and return for from four 
pence to nine pence the single passage; or we can 
take an omnibus either from Kensington Garden or 
Royal Oak for about the same price. 

Our first day in London being Sunday, we imme- 
diately turned our steps to that great center of at- 
traction, Westminster Abbey, where we attended 
service. On that occasion, and during subsequent 
visits, we have for hours been deeply absorbed in 
wandering through this wilderness of tombs, busts, 
statues, and other monuments of the distinguished 
lead. We were first drawn to the Poet's Corner, 
ind at once to the slab over Charles Dickens' grave, 
ipon which lay a cross of faded flowers. Above 
Jtand the busts of Macaulay, Thackeray, and others, 
he statues of Shakspeare, Addison, Thomas Camp- 
>ell, and Thomson, and close by, the statues, busts, 



44 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 



or other monuments of Garrick, Goldsmith, Gay, 
Southey, Prior, Milton, Chaucer, Dryden, Beaumont, 
Gray, Spenser, Samuel Johnson, Sheridan, Cowley, 
Ben Jonson, and many others. 

In one of the principal aisles we stood over the 
new-made grave of Dr. Livingstone, indicated by a 
marble slab in the floor, bearing his name and date 
of death; and on this slab some friendly hand had 
placed a wreath of flowers. In another part of the 
church is a monumental bust of Sir John Franklin, 
with appropriate inscriptions — the affectionate tri~ 



WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 45 

bute of Lady Franklin, recently deceased. We tran- 
scribed from this monument the following: 

" O ye frost and cold, O ye ice and snow, 
Bless ye the Lord: praise Him and magnify His name forever. 
Not here: the white North has thy bones; and thou, heroic- sailor soul, 
Art passing on thy happier voyage now toward no earthly pole." 

On the wall opposite is a monumental slab to Isaac 
Watts. 

The inscription on the base of Addison's statue is 
as follows: 

"Whoever thou art, venerate the memory of Joseph Addison, in whom 
Christian faith, virtue, and good morals found a continual patron; whose 
genius was shown in verse, and every exquisite kind of writing; who gave 
to posterity the best examples of pure language, and the best rules for 
living well, which remain, and ever will remain sacred; whose weight of 
argument was tempered with wit, and accurate judgment with politeness, 
so that he encouraged the good and reformed the improvident, tamed the 
wicked, and in some degree made them in love with virtue. He was born 
in the year 1672, and his fortune being increased gradually, arrived at 
length to public honors. Died in the forty-eighth year of his age, the 
honor and delight of the British nation." 

This epitaph on Addison, written by Thomas Tic- 
kle, is inscribed on the marble slab which marks the 
spot where he was buried: 

" Ne'er to these chambers, where the mighty rest, 
Since their foundation, came a nobler guest; 
Nor e'er was to the bowers of bliss conveyed 
A fairer spirit, or more welcome shade. 
Oh, gone forever! take this long adieu, 
And sleep in peace next thy lov'd Montegue." 

Next to Addison's is the grave of Charles Mon- 
tegue, the first Lord Halifax, who lived in the reigns 
of William III. and George I. 

The statue of Shakspeare is very graceful, and the 
likeness bears a strong resemblance to his portrait in 
his old house at Stratf ord-on-Avon. In the left hand 



46 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



is a scroll, on which appear the following lines from 
"The Tempest:" 

"The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself, 
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve; 
And, like the base fabric of a vision, 
Leave not a rack behind." 

Oliver Goldsmith's likeness is given in profile, 
under which, on the marble slab in the wall, is a 
Latin inscription, stating in substance that "he was 
eminent as a Poet, Philosopher, and Historian; that 
he scarcely left any species of writing unattempted, 
and none that he attempted, unimproved; that he 
was master of the softer passions, and could at plea- 
sure command tears or provoke laughter; but in 
everything he said or did, good nature was predom- 
inant; that he was witty, sublime, spirited, and face- 
tious; in speech pompous; in conversation elegant 
and graceful; that the love of his associates, fidelity 
of his friends, and the veneration of his readers had 
raised this monument to his memory." 

John Gay wrote his own epitaph, which we are 
told is censured by some for its levity. Nevertheless 
it is on his monument in these lines: 

" Life is a jest, and all things show it: 
I thought so once, but now I know it." 

Underneath are the following lines by Alexander 
Pope: 

"Of manners gentle, of affection mild; 
In wit a man, simplicity a child; 
With native humor temp' ring virtuous rage, 
Form'd to delight at once and lash the age; 
Above temptation in a low estate, 
And uncorrupted e'en among the great; 
A safe companion and an easy friend, 



WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 47 



Unblamed through life, lamented in thy end; 
These are thy honours; not that here thy bust 
Is mix'd with heroes, or with kings thy dust; 
But that the worthy and the good shall say, 
Striking their pensive bosoms, ' Here lies Gay! ' " 

He was but forty-five when he died, in 1732. 
On the monument of Edmund Spenser is the fol- 
lowing: 

" Here lies (expecting the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus) the body 
of Edmund Spenser, the Prince of Poets in his time, whose divine spirit 
needs no other witness than the works which he left behind him. He was 
born in London in 1553, and died in 1598." 

The remains of a great many of the sovereigns 
of England and Scotland are interred here. There 
is a splendid monument to Mary Stuart, Queen of 
Scots, erected by her son, James I., soon after he 
ascended the throne. In 1612 he had her remains 
privately removed to this church from the Peter- 
borough Cathedral, where they were first buried in 
1587. He also caused to be erected here a magni- 
ficent monument to his predecessor, Queen Eliza- 
beth. The inscription thereon says that "she was 
the mother of her country, and the patroness of re- 
ligion and learning; she was herself skilled in many 
languages; adorned with every excellence of mind 
and person, and endowed with princely virtues be- 
yond her sex; that in her reign religion was restored 
to its primitive purity; peace was established; money 
restored to its just value; domestic insurrection 
quelled; France delivered from intestine troubles; 
the Netherlands supported; the Spanish Armada 
defeated; Ireland, almost lost by the secret contri- 
vances of Spain, recovered; the revenues of both 
universities improved by a law of provisions, and, 
in short, all England enriched; that she was a most 



48 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

prudent governess, forty -five years a virtuous and 
triumphant Queen, truly religious, and blessed in 
all her great affairs; and that after a calm and 
resigned death, in the seventieth year of her age, 
she left the mortal part to be deposited in this church, 
which she established upon a new footing. She died 
March 24, 1602, aged seventy." 

Many of the inscriptions, especially those of the 
royal families, recite important historical facts. For 
instance, there is an altar erected by Charles II. to 
the memory of Edward V. and his brother, "who, 
by their treacherous uncle, Richard III. , were mur- 
dered in the Tower." The inscription says: 

"Here lies the relics of Edward V., King of England, and Richard, 
Duke of York, who, being confined in the Tower, and there stifled with 
pillows, were privately and meanly buried, by order of their perfidious 
uncle, Richard, the usurper. Their bones, long inquired after and wished 
for, after laying one hundred and ninety-one years in the rubbish of the 
stairs, (leading to the chapel of the White Tower,) were, on the 17th of 
July, 1674, by undoubted proofs, discovered, being buried deep in that 
place. Charles II., pitying their unhappy fate, ordered these unfortunate 
Princes to be laid among the relics of their predecessors, in the year 1678, 
and the thirtieth of his reign." 

In allusion to this inscription a writer observes: 
"It is remarkable that Edward was born November 
4, 1471, in the sanctuary belonging to this church, 
whither his mother took refuge during the contest 
between the houses of York and Lancaster; at eleven 
years of age, upon the death of his father, 1483, 
he was proclaimed King; and on the 23d of June, in 
the same year, was murdered in the manner already 
related. Richard, his brother, was born May 28, 
1474, and married while a child to Anna Mowbray, 
heiress of Norfolk." 

On the monument to George Canning, born April 
11, 1770, died August 8, 1827, is the following: 






WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 40 



"Endowed with a rare combination of talents, an eminent statesman, 
an accomplished scholar, an orator surpassed by none, he united the most 
brilliant and lofty qualities of the mind with the warmest affections of the 
heart; raised by his own merit, he successfully filled important offices in 
the State, and finally became first minister of the Crown. In the full 
enjoyment of his sovereign's favor, and of the confidence of the people, 
he was prematurely cut off when pursuing a wise and large course of 
policy, which had for its object the prosperity and greatness of his own 
country, while it comprehended the welfare and commanded the admira- 
tion of Foreign nations." 

Longer than by any other, perhaps, we were in- 
clined to linger by the monument of the unfortunate 
Major John Andre, so well known, in this country 
at least, as having been hung as a spy by order of 
General Washington. On a molded paneled base 
and plinth, in the wall, is a sarcophagus, surmount- 
ed by a half -reclining female figure, her head bowed 
in grief, and in bas-relief on the front are repre- 
sented on the one hand Washington's headquarters 
in an open tent, and on the other the British quar- 
ters, disclosing in company with officers, what are 
supposed to represent the mother and sister of Andre 
in deep distress, and between the two camps a Bri- 
tish officer is represented as bearing a flag of truce 
to Washington, with a letter from Major Andre, 
begging that he might be shot instead of being hung. 
On the base is the following inscription : 

Sacred to the Memory 

of 

MAJOR JOHN ANDRE, 

who, raised by his merit at an early period of life to the rank of Adjutant- 
General of the British forces in America, and employed in an important 
but hazardous enterprise, fell a sacrifice to his zeal for his King and 
country on the 2d of October, A. D. 1780, aged twenty-nine, universally 
beloved and esteemed by the army in which he served, and lamented even 
by his Foes. His gracious sovereign, King George the Third, lias 
caused this monument to be erected. 



50 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

On the plinth is an inscription to the effect that by 
direction of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, 
the remains of Major Andre were removed from 
Tappan, N. Y., and on the 28th of November, 1821, 
deposited in a grave near this monument. It is a 
singular fact that the head of Washington's figure 
on this monument has been twice taken off; whether 
from motives of spite or from mere wanton curiosity 
it is uncertain; but charity might lead us to suppose 
the latter reason, since the heads also of some of the 
other figures have been removed — "being so well 
executed they were too great a temptation for the 
curious pilferer to withstand." Here is the letter 
addressed to General Washington by Major Andre 
the night previous to his execution, and borne to 
him under this flag of truce: 

" Sir — Buoyed above the terror of death by the consciousness of a life 
devoted to honourable purposes, and stained with no action which can give 
me remorse, I trust that the request which I make to your excellency at 
this serious period, and which is to soften my last moments, will not be re- 
jected; sympathy toward a soldier will surely induce your excellency, and a 
military tribunal, to adapt the mode of my death to the feelings of a man 
of honour; let me hope, sir, that if aught in my character impresses you 
with esteem towards me — if aught in my misfortunes mark me as the 
victim of policy, and not of resentment, I shall experience the operations 
of those feelings in your breast, by being informed I am not to die on a 
gibbet. I have the honor to be, your excellency, 

"JOHN ANDRE, 
"Adjutant of the British forces in America." 

It was all in vain; he died on the gallows. 



HYDE PARK. 51 



CHAPTER X. 

LONDON, July 3.— Our English friends, with 
whom we have been sojourning as guests, sup- 
port a handsome team with servants in livery, and 
have entertained us in regal style. We have had 
several drives in Kensington and Hyde Parks every 
pleasant afternoon, where the aristocracy of London 
vie with one another in their elegance of outfit, and 
where we had the opportunity of seeing many of 
them face to face. The principal drive is between 
Apsley House, the palatial mansion of the Duke of 
Wellington, and the Albert Monument, a magnifi- 
cent structure somewhat after the style of the Scott 
Monument in Edinburgh, lately raised by Queen 
Victoria in honor of her lamented husband, Prince 
Albert. Across the street from the Monument is the 
Royal Albert Hall of Arts, built in circular form, and 
capable of seating fifteen thousand people. At this 
point the carriages turn and the great procession 
moves back and forth on the same carriage-way, 
lined with thousands of spectators on foot. Contin- 
ually passing and repassing one another, the occu- 
pants of the carriages are enabled to exchange salu- 
tations and enjoy a view of the whole inspiring scene. 
The Queen sometimes drives in the Park, but we 
have. not seen her. The Princess of Wales is often 
in the procession and bows pleasantly to those who 
offer their respects. 

Parallel with the carriage-way is a horse-course for 
horseback riding, and this extends, indeed, through 
the Park and along Rotten Row, another part of 
Hyde Park, where, at two o'clock in the afternoon, 
thousands of ladies and gentlemen congregate and 



52 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

promenade for exercise in the open air. On the 
north bank of a beautiful lake, called the Serpentine, 
is the Ladies' Mile, another charming drive. From 
the end of Oxford street, Hyde Park is entered under 
the marble Arch, a noble structure, which used to 
stand in front of Buckingham Palace. Opposite the 
Piccadilly entrance, and near the Apsley House, on 
an elevated pedestal, is the grand bronze statue of 
Achilles, inscribed, "By the women of England to 
Arthur, Duke of Wellington, and his brave compan- 
ions in arms." The statue was cast from ordnance 
taken from the enemy during the Peninsular war, 
and the cost of its erection ($50,000) was entirely de- 
frayed by subscriptions of the fair sex — an example, 
perhaps, for the women of the United States, if it be 
that our Washington Monument is ever to be com- 
pleted. 

A ride one day to the Thames embankment took us 
through many parts of the city. This embankment, 
which has reclaimed from the muddy Thames fifty 
acres of land, is a great modern improvement, add- 
ing much to the beauty as well as to the health of 
the metropolis. Another ride six or eight miles to 
the village of Richmond, by the famous "Star and 
Garter" Hotel, and through the great Richmond 
Park, swarming with sheep and deer, was equally 
enjoyable. On the edge of this Park is the residence 
of Lord John Russell, nestled among forest trees. 
On our way we visited Kew Gardens, said to contain 
one of the most splendid collections of plants in the 
world. The palm-house, three hundred and sixty 
feet long by ninety feet wide, is believed to be the 
largest glass building in existence, except the Crystal 
Palace at Sydenham, which we have likewise visited, 
and where we heard concert singing. We may men- 



GENERAL POST OFFICE. 53 

tion that we attended a concert also at Albert Hall, 
where we heard Mesdames Christine Nilsson and 
Trebelli Bettoni, Mesdemoiselles Titiens and Varesi, 
Signor Campinini, and other famous singers. The 
Hall being pretty well filled, the audience alone was 
a magnificent sight. 

The Mansion House, where we saw the Lord Mayor 
holding court, is one of the prominent public build- 
ings; and Guildhall, the Hotel de Ville of the city of 
London, is another which we have visited. In the lat- 
ter the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the city are elect- 
ed, and here, exalted on lofty pedestals on either side 
of the west window, are the ancient colossal figures 
of Gog and Magog, which, being of wood and hollow, 
used to be carried in the procession on the Mayor's 
show day. They seem to have been carved to repre- 
sent giants. We have paid our respects to some of 
the head officials of the General Post Office, and 
witnessed some of its wonderful workings. In one 
room are one thousand clerks of both sexes, whose 
entire duty it is to attend to the postal telegraph 
business. Messages are dispatched from here to the 
various postal stations throughout the city, and re- 
ceived therefrom, by means of pneumatic tubes. 

A good part of one day in the Zoological Gardens, 
where we had the pleasure of meeting Grace Green- 
wood and her daughter, was pleasantly spent, afford- 
ing, as it did, an opportunity of seeing all sorts of 
animals, fowls, birds, etc. Among other interesting 
sights were some young seals, which surprised us by 
their almost human intelligence under the training 
of a funny little Frenchman. 

One afternoon we wandered among the tombs and 
monuments at Kensal Green Cemetery, where we 
plucked leaves from the grave of Thomas Hood. On 



54 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

one side of the base of Ms monument, in bas-relief, 
are figures representing a drowned girl being borne 
"tenderly" in the hands of men; on the other side, 
the figure of an aged person apparently in distress, 
and in front that of another man convulsed with 
laughter. On the top of the square column is a large 
bust of the poet. Allan Cunningham, John Murray, 
the eminent publisher, Sydney Smith (Peter Plym- 
ley), the Duke of Sussex, Anne Scott, daughter of Sir 
Walter Scott, and Thackeray, were also buried here. 
An hour or two at Madame Tussaud's exhibition of 
waxworks reminded us of inimitable Artemas Ward 
and his show of "wax figgers." Taken as a whole 
it is a ridiculous collection. While Washington and 
Franklin are tolerably represented, the figures of 
Lincoln, McClellan, Beecher, and even Dickens, are 
the merest burlesques. Those of Andrew Johnson 
and General Grant, grouped with Lincoln and Mc- 
Clellan, might possibly be recognized. The best 
things here — and these are really good — are a sleep- 
ing beauty, with internal machinery causing her 
chest to rise and fall as if she were breathing; a 
standing figure of Madame Tussaud, very life-like, 
with her bonnet on, viewing the Queen and other 
members of the royal family before her; and lastly, 
the form and likeness of William Cobbett, the picture 
of Horace Greeley, sitting as if looking at the show, 
his broad-brimmed hat and spectacles on, and a snuff- 
box in his hand. We were assured that this figure 
has sometimes been taken for real flesh and blood, 
and that visitors have turned indignantly away from 
the placid old gentleman because he would not deign 
to answer their questions or give them a pinch of 
snuff. With a little more care this exhibition might 
be made to possess a much greater merit. We sought 



BRITISH MUSEUM. 55 



out one of the proprietors of the concern present and 
earnestly protested against burlesquing our modern 
statesmen, warriors and divines in such a shocking 
manner, when, with a little more pains, they could 
be correctly represented. 

Years might be usefully spent in the study of the 
British Museum, the granite building of which covers 
acres. We devoted a rainy day to it. It is open to 
the public, free, three days in the week. There are 
the Botanical Museum; the Mammalian, Zoological 
and Mineral Galleries, the Gallery of Egyptian, Greek 
and Roman Antiquities, the Sculpture Gallery, in 
one part of which the curious marbles from Mneveh 
are exhibited; and then there is the Library of nearly 
one million printed volumes, and manuscripts and 
prints without number. Embraced with these is the 
entire library, seventy thousand volumes, of George 
III., regarded as very valuable, presented by his suc- 
cessor, George IV. We were highly interested in 
the room appropriated to autographs, ancient books, 
etc. We noticed among the autographs those of 
Washington, Queen Elizabeth, Mary, Queen of Scots, 
Chaucer, Voltaire, Napoleon, Shakspeare, the Georg- 
es and other Kings of England. Here are copies of 
some of the first books ever printed. "Among the 
one thousand, six hundred and fifty different editions 
of the Bible here, is the first issued from the press, 
called the Mazarine Bible. It is printed on vellum, 
in the Latin language, by Gutenberg and Faust, in 
1455." There is an endless collection of coins of all 
nations, old jewelry, curious weapons, and almost 
every other old curiosity under the sun. The Port- 
land Vase is regarded as wonderful, first, because, 
we believe, its composition is a lost art, and secondly, 
because, after being broken into one hundred pieces, 



56 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

more or less, it has been restored almost to its ori- 
ginal beauty. It is of dark blue glass, adorned with 
delicate white medallion pictures. The lamented Dr. 
Horatio Stone, the sculptor, who crossed the ocean 
with us, advised us to be sure not to overlook it. A 
fine life-sized bronze statue of Stonewall Jackson is 
on exhibition here. We understand it is to be sent 
to Richmond as a present from some of his English 
admirers. Dean Stanley mentioned to us a singular 
fact, that while there was in Westminster Abbey an 
expensive monument — a reclining statue, which we 
have seen — of the Duke of Montpensier, brother of 
Louis Philippe, King of France, the only figure of 
Washington to be seen in any of the memorial halls 
of London is the small likeness on Major Andre's 
monument and a large bust in the basement of the 
British Museum. We observed this bust, which, if 
memory serves us, is of plaster, and in an out of the 
way place. On our visit to the Museum we had the 
pleasure of seeing the good Queen of Holland,* who, 
in company with several gentlemen, was also on a 
visit to this establishment. We should say she is 
about fifty, tall, with light hair and eyes, and pleas- 
ant looking, but not handsome; and our lady com- 
panion says she wore a plain dress of dark bluish 
purpled plaid, and bonnet trimmed with black. 

Starting one day for Hampton Court, when we 
reached Victoria Theater, near Waterloo Bridge, and 
near where we were to take the cars, we learned that 
Moody and Sankey were about to hold services in the 
Theater building, and we stopped to hear them. The 
house was crowded, the stage being occupied by one 
hundred or more clergymen, among whom was New- 



* Died June 2, 1877, aged fifty-nine years. 



HAMPTON COURT. 57 



man Hall, who made a short address after Mr. Moody 
closed. Since then we have heard Mr. Hall preach 
one Sunday at St. James' Hall. After an hour's 
delay we proceeded to Hampton Court, and walked 
through thirty -two rooms of the palace filled with 
pictures — eight hundred or more in all — many of 
them by the old masters, — Titian, Raphael, Van 
Dyck, and others. There are some wonderful tap- 
estries here. In one room we saw the bed of Queen 
Anne. This palace was built by Cardinal Wolsey, 
and presented to Henry VIII., but was subsequently, 
under the direction of William III. , much enlarged. 
It is of red brick, with stone facings. The garden, 
adorned with sculptured fountains and beautiful 
shade trees, is one of the most charming in England. 
We did not omit to see here the far-famed maze, 
nor the famous grape - vine, on which there were 
twelve hundred bunches of green grapes, and which, 
being one hundred and nine years old, is said to 
have borne in a single year as many as three thou- 
sand bunches. True to his trust, the attendant 
could not be prevailed on, even for money, to part 
with a single leaf from its branches. It is trailed 
under a glass roof. 

We have been to the Drury Lane and Haymarket 
Theaters; neither remarkable for anything we heard 
or saw there. Indeed, in the latter, where we saw 
Sothern as Lord Dundreary, we thought the play 
was decidedly stupid. We have seen him do much 
better in Washington. 



58 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XI. 

W^ONDON, July 8. — It is an event in a man's 
<|=^ life to have dined once with the Cloth workers' 
Company at their magnificent hall in Mincing Lane, 
London. This is an immensely wealthy society, 
dating back two hundred years or more; and al- 
though it was organized by clothworkers, and under 
their management for a century, more or less, it is 
said there is not at present a single clothworker 
connected with it. The membership is now com- 
posed principally, if not entirely, of the aristocratic 
classes, and everything attending their proceedings 
is conducted on a grand scale. Their great wealth 
has been acquired by the rise of real estate, left from 
time to time to the society by its former members, 
and they appropriate from it, in acts of benevolence, 
large sums every year. Its permanent officers are a 
Master, four Wardens and a Clerk. The Clerk, 
Owen Roberts, Esq., M. A., is the working officer, 
who has to attend to all the details. At their state 
dinners, which are given about once every month, 
the number of plates set is one hundred and twenty — 
one table being arranged at the head, and one on 
either side, lengthwise of the grand hall. The seat 
of the Master of Ceremonies is at the center of the 
head table. All the officers wear long robes, and 
their guests, who are expected to appear in full dress 
suit, are first received in the saloon or drawing-room, 
which is elegantly furnished. Dinner is served at 
nine o'clock, and each member or guest, as the case 
may be, finds or is conducted to his place at table, 
where his name appears on a handsome card, bear- 
ing the coat of arms of the society. By his plate, 



A LONDON DINNER. 59 

also, he finds the bill of fare and an elaborate pro- 
gramme containing the names of the officers of the 
society and of the artists who are to furnish the mu- 
sical part of the entertainment. This bill and pro- 
gramme, too, bear the society's coat of arms, whose 
motto is, "My trust is in God alone," and both are 
printed in the highest style of "the art divine." All 
the pieces to be sung, ten in number, are printed in 
full in the programme, and it should be observed that 
the musicians have position at the lower end of the 
hall, facing the Master of Ceremonies, and that it is 
their province to perform during dinner. Grace is 
said, with responses, in Latin, "composed by John 
Reading, a. d. 1681" — all printed in the programme. 
As Washington City is famous for its dinner par- 
ties and sumptuous state dinners, especially those 
given by the foreign legations, it may interest some 
to present a list of the good things served on the occa- 
sion of a grand dinner by the Clothworkers' Society, 
in Mincing Hall, July 7, 1875, thus: 

MENU. 
Soups. 

Turtle Clear Turtle 

Fish. 

Souche de Carrelets 

Cotelettes de Saumon a la Calcutta Truite a la Verte 

Salmon Turbot Whitebait 

Entrees. 

Vols au Vent a la Financiere 

Ris de Veau en Caisses aux Petits Pois 

Cailles aux Truffes a la Chesterfield 

Removes. 

Perigord Pies Chickens aux Pointes d' Asperge 

Warden Pies Boiled Capons a la Toulouse 






60 SKETCHES OP TRAVEL. 



Roast Chickens Hams 


Tongues 


Haunches Venison 




Ducks Turkey Poults 


Goslings 


Entremets. 




Prawns 




Poudins d' Orleans 


Clear Jellies 


Macedoine aux Fruits 


Pine Creams 


Marrow Pudding Me 


ringues de Chantilly 


Flans d' Abricots Maids of Honour 


Removes. 




Nesselrode Pudding 


Iced Souffles 


Ramaquins 




Dessert and Ices 





Of course, the choicest brands of wine were also 
served in profusion. 

Dinner over, the first toast, to Her Majesty the 
Queen, was drunk standing, and then, all joining 
with the choir, came 

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. 

God save our gracious Queen, 
Long live our noble Queen, 

God save the Queen! 
Send her victorious, 
Happy and glorious, 
Long to reign over us, 

God save the Queen! 

Thy choicest gifts in store 
On her be pleased to pour, 

Long may she reign! 
May she defend our laws, 
And ever give us cause 
To sing with heart and voice, 

God save the Queen! 

The Prince of Wales and other members of the 
royal family were next toasted, but without rising 
from the table, they being subjects only, like the 
rest of the people. 



A LONDON DINNER. 61 

Then was sung, by Miss Annie Sinclair, 

THE ECHO SONG. 
My own true love is far away, 

And I am wandering lonely here 
To tend my flocks till close of day, 

While mem'ry wakes the silent tear. 
I 'm sure his heart is true to me; 

Tho' other lands he 's doomed to roam, 
His constant prayer I know will be 

To view once more his native home. 

Sweet hope is whisp'ring in my heart, 

While time is winging fast away, 
That we shall meet no more to part 

When Springtime brings the flowers of May. 
Ah! then what happy days in store! 

We '11 wreathe with joy the fleeting hours; 
No clouds shall darken o'er us more 

To blight the summer flowers. 

Next, after other appropriate toasts, came a glee, 
(four voices,) by Horsley, entitled 

"MINE BE A COT." 
Mine be a cot beside a hill, 

A beehive's hum shall soothe my ear; 
A willowy brook, that turns a mill, 

With many a fall shall linger near; 
The swallow oft beneath my thatch 

Shall twitter from her clay-built nest; 
Oft shall the pilgrim lift the latch, 

And share my meal a welcome guest. 

Around my ivied porch shall spring 

Each fragrant flower that drinks the dew, 
And Lucy at her wheel shall sing, 

In russet gown and apron blue. 
The village church among the trees, 

Where first our marriage vows were given, 
With merry peals shall swell the breeze, 

And point with taper spire to heav'n. 



62 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



Stiir other toasts intervening, the songs, all good, 
were continued to the close, and this (also by four 
voices) was the last — 

"GOOD NIGHT." 
Bim, bim, hear us singing, 

Now sounds the midnight hour! 
Hark! how the chimes are ringing: 
Voices your way be winging 

ITigh to our lady's bower, ( 

Charm her with magic power: 
While we our watch are keeping, 

May she in slumber light, 
Calm and secure be sleeping: 

So let us say, "Good night." 

Bim, bim, chimes are ringing! 

Ye zephyrs lend your aid! 
What we afar are singing, 
Still to her ear be bringing: 

Breathe o'er this gentle maid, 

Where she in rest is laid! 
While we our watch are keeping, 

May she in slumbers light, 
Calm and secure be sleeping: 

So let us say, "Good night. '* 

The company left the table about midnight, the last 
act in the evening's entertainment, except smoking, 
being the passage of the " Loving Cup." This cere- 
mony is thus described by F. W. Fairholt, F. S. A. : 

•'The Loving Cup" is a splendid feature of the 
Hall-feasts of the City and Inns of Court. The cup 
is of silver or silver-gilt, and is filled with spiced 
wine, immemorially termed "Sack." Immediately 
after the dinner and grace, the Master and Wardens 
drink to their visitors a hearty welcome; the cup is 
then passed round the table, and each guest, after 
he has drunk, applies his napkin to the mouth of the 
cup before he passes it to his neighbor. The more 



SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM. 68 

formal practice is for "the person who pledges with 
the Loving Cup to stand up and bow to his neighbor, 
who, also standing, removes the cover with his right 
hand, and holds it while the other drinks; a custom 
said to have originated in the precaution to keep the 
right or 'dagger hand' employed, that the person 
who drinks may be assured of no treachery, like that 
practised by Elfrida on the unsuspecting King Ed- 
ward the Martyr, at Corfe Castle, who was slain 
while drinking. This was why the Loving Cup pos- 
sessed a cover." 



CHAPTER XII. 

f^90KDON, July 10. — We have passed portions of 
^^ several days in the South Kensington Museum, 
which is about twenty minutes' walk through Ken- 
sington and Hyde Parks from our boarding house — 
admission free three days in the week. This Muse- 
um, founded in 1852, is to us the most interesting of 
anything of the kind in the city. The antiquarian 
might find more to command attention in the British 
Museum, because it is there where are deposited all 
the strange old things that have been brought to 
light from under and above ground since the days of 
Adam; but to passing travelers like ourselves there 
is vastly more of stirring interest in the Kensington 
collection. One long room in the basement is given 
to ancient state vehicles, including a sedan chair, 
which are well worth seeing. Models of the great 
monuments, and of other wonders of the world are 
brought and to be brought here ; and by and by one 



64 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

need not go beyond London to see copies or facsim- 
iles of almost every object of art, of which we read, 
in all parts of the world. Here is a reproduction in 
plaster, full size, but in two sections, of the Trajan 
column in Rome; and the same also of the "Appren- 
tice's Pillar" in Roslin Castle. Full-sized models of 
celebrated gates and other Eastern monuments are 
likewise presented, as well as a large collection of 
sculptures, porcelain, jewels, arms, armor, paintings, 
carvings in ivory, wood and stone, unique furniture, 
tapestries, and thousands of other things impossible 
to enumerate. Extravagant prices have been paid 
for some of these articles. There is a French candle- 
stick of date 1550, in Henri deux earthenware, which 
cost $3,750, and in the same ca&e four other articles 
of the same ware, the whole costing $9,100. Many 
of the paintings and large quantities of the most ex- 
pensive jewelry here are the private property of the 
nobility, who have loaned the same for the gratifica- 
tion of the public. Like other valuable collections of 
pictures, etc. , in the Museum, many of these doubt- 
less will eventually become the property of the insti- 
tution as donations outright. The collection of paint- 
ings, called the Sheepshanks Collection, comprises 
two hundred and thirty -four oil paintings, and the 
Vernon Collection one hundred and sixty-two, be- 
sides seven cartoons of Raphael, brought from Hamp- 
ton Court. In the former are masterpieces by Land- 
seer, Wilkie, Leslie, and Rosa Bonheur; and among 
the latter, choice works by Gainsborough, Eastlake, 
and other celebrated artists. The cartoons by Ra- 
phael were executed in 1514, by order of Leo X., as 
patterns for tapestries in the Sistine Chapel of the 
Vatican. They represent the Death of Ananias; Pe- 
ter and John at the Beautiful Gate; Christ's Charge 



NATIONAL PICTURE GALLERY. 65 

to Peter; Healing the Lame Man; Paul and Barnabas 
at Lystra; Elymas, the sorcerer, struck blind; Paul 
preaching at Athens; and the Miraculous Draught 
of Fishes. There is an Art School and Library con- 
nected with the institution. 

The National Picture Gallery, free to visitors Tues- 
days, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and to artists 
on Thursdays and Fridays also, is another point of 
attraction. It is situated on the north side of Tra- 
falgar Square. Here we had the pleasure of meeting 
Mr. Miller, one of our most talented Washington 
artists. Besides the large number of paintings per- 
manently located here, others by the various artists 
of the metropolis and from the interior are from 
time to time placed here on exhibition and for sale. 
This Gallery is said to contain pictures not only by 
the best English artists, but also by some of the 
greatest painters of the Italian, Spanish, Dutch, 
French, and Flemish schools. Among the latter 
may be mentioned Raphael's Catherine of Alex- 
andria, which cost $25,000, and his Pope Julius II.; 
Correggio's Holy Family, Ecce Homo, and Mercury 
Instructing Cupid, for which $50,000 was paid; The 
Rape of the Sabines, and Judgment of Paris, by 
Rubens; Visions of a Knight, and The Holy Family, 
by Murillo; Christ Disputing in the Temple, by Leo- 
nardo da Vinci; and The Family of Darius, by Paul 
Veronese. In the hall stands the celebrated Water- 
loo Vase, composed of materials taken during the 
Peninsular war from a French ship, which was con- 
veying them to Paris to be converted into a monu- 
ment to Napoleon. 

In the East India Museum we saw a large collec- 
tion of dresses, weapons, ancient and modern, idols, 
agricultural and other instruments, specimens of the 
5 



6$ SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



natural productions of the East Indies, and, indeed, 
of almost everything else to be seen in that country. 
One day at the South Kensington Museum, among 
the visitors, we were pleased to meet twenty East 
Indiamen, dressed in their native costumes. They 
were from Bombay, probably in a merchant ves- 
sel, but were called Alaskians. Some of them wore 
immense turbans, and their shoes were pointed at 
the toes. It did us good to see them enjoy the 
sights. 

Trafalgar Square, ten minutes' walk from West- 
minster Abbey and the Parliament buildings, is one 
of the great central points of London. It is a large 
open space, where a considerable number of streets 
converge. Here stands a magnificent monument to 
Nelson, a column one hundred and seventy- seven 
feet in height, surmounted by his statue. On the 
four sides of the base, in bronze bas-relief, are repre- 
sented the Death of Nelson; the Battle of the Nile; 
the Battle of St. Vincent; and the Battle of Copen- 
hagen. At each of the four corners of the base is 
an immense granite figure of a lion, couchant, the 
work of Sir Edward Landseer. There is also in this 
Square a fine equestrian statue of George IV., and 
bronze statues of Sir Charles Napier and General 
Havelock. 

Charing Cross is another famous point, and to 
feel ourselves quite at home here in Piccadilly and 
Fleet streets, in the Strand, Trafalgar Square, and at 
many other points, with familiar names, in London, 
is a new and pleasant experience. To the south of 
Charing Cross are Whitehall and Parliament streets; 
and to the west Cockspur street and Piccadilly. At 
the head of Parliament street is a bronze equestrian 
statue of Charles I. The name of Charing Cross is 



TOWER OF LONDON. 67 

supposed to have been derived from the village of 
Charing, "though tradition has it that the place was 
so called after Eleanor, the chere reine (dear Queen) 
of Edward L," who caused to be erected here a hand- 
some cross to her memory. This cross "stood a 
monument of royal love for more than three hundred 
and fifty years, and was at last, in June and July, 
1647, pulled down by order of the Long Parliament, 
and its stones used to pave the street before White- 
hall !" Subsequently this was the scene of the exe- 
cutions of many of the regicides. Here, on the 21st 
of June, 1837, Victoria was proclaimed Queen. 

We went on a free day to see the Tower of London, 
when we encountered at the entrance gate such a 
crowd, generally not of the most genteel appearance, 
that we were glad to retire from their company. We 
thought it quite proper in a burly policeman to cau- 
tion us to keep an eye on our watch-chains. We 
found it every way better to pay our shilling admis- 
sion fee, as we did on a subsequent day, when, with 
a small company, guided by a warder in the pictur- 
esque costume of a yeoman of the time of Henry 
VIII. , we had a good view of such parts of this old 
fortress as are shown to visitors. It consists of vari- 
ous ranges of buildings and several streets, compris- 
ing within its walls an extent of upward of twelve 
acres. In the various armories are kept arms suffi- 
cient to equip over one hundred thousand men. Tro- 
phies of celebrated victories, every kind of ancient 
weapons, instruments of torture, and thousands of 
other curiosities find a place here. In the Horse 
Armory are figures of the Kings of England, on 
horseback, chiefly dressed in the ancient armor. 
Swords, pikes, spears, pistols, and other war instru- 
ments are arranged on the walls in many curious 



68 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

devices. Queen Elizabeth is represented as standing 
by the side of her horse, arrayed in the same dress 
and armor she wore at Tilbury in 1588, when she 
made her memorable speech to the assembled army. 
We were in the Bloody Tower, where Richard III. 
had his two nephews put to death; in the Boyer 
Tower, where the Duke of Clarence is said to have 
been drowned in a butt of Malmsey; in the Brick 
Tower, where Lady Jane Grey was confined; in the 
Beauchamp Tower, where Anne Boleyn was impris- 
oned; and in the White Tower, where Sir Walter 
Raleigh was beheaded, and where we saw the fatal 
block and axe in the execution room. We entered 
his prison lodgings, a cell ten feet long and eight 
feet wide, formed in the thickness of the wall, and 
receiving no light except from the doorway. It was 
here within this Tower that, tradition says, Sir Wal- 
ter Raleigh wrote his history of the world. The 
crown jewels, which are immensely valuable, are 
kept carefully guarded in a small room of the Tower 
and within an iron grating. Among these is the 
crown made for the coronation of Queen Victoria, at 
a cost of $600,000; St. Edward's crown, made of gold 
and embellished with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, 
pearls and sapphires; the Prince of Wales' crown; 
the Queen's diadem; St. Edward's staff; the Ancient 
Queen's crown; the royal scepter; the Queen's scepter; 
the ivory scepter made for Marie d' Este, James II. 's 
Queen; the rod of equity, the curtana, or pointless 
sword of mercy, two swords of justice, a baptismal 
font, a beautiful service of sacramental plate, the 
coronation bracelets and spurs, and the anointing 
vessel and spoon, all used at the coronation; and 
last, but not all, a golden salt-cellar of most beauti- 
ful workmanship. These gems were all pointed out 



WINDSOK CASTLE. 69 



and their use fully explained to us by a special at- 
tendant. 

On the afternoon of the 30th of June we rode three 
quarters of an hour by rail to Windsor Castle. The 
Queen being there we were admitted only to the 
Round Tower, the Chapel, and the "Mews," or 
Queen's stables. In the Mews we saw seventy beau- 
tiful horses, many of them with pet names, and a 
great many carriages. In one building are the car- 
riages in use by the Queen and Prince Albert during 
his lifetime; but since his death she has not allowed 
them to be used, and they will probably pass into 
the catalogue of royal relics intact. In the vault of 
St. George's Chapel are the remains of many of the 
sovereigns of England and of other members of the 
royal family. The marble monument here to the 
Princess Charlotte, wife of Leopold I., is touchingly 
beautiful. There is a fine monument, also, to the 
Duke of Kent, and one in bas-relief 'to Prince Albert, 
whose remains were deposited in a mausoleum a 
short distance from the Castle. The Prince of Wales 
was christened and married in St. George's Chapel. 
The following hymn, composed by his father, was 
sung at the wedding, Jenny Lind Goldschmidt assist- 
ing the choir: 

"This day, with joyful heart and voice, 
To Heaven be raised a nation's prayer: 
Almighty Father, deign to grant 
Thy blessing to the wedded pair. 

*■' So shall no clouds of sorrow dim 

The sunshine of their earthly days; 
But happiness in endless round 

Shall still encompass all their ways." 

The sexton, who opened the doors to us, said he was 
present at the baptism and marriage of the Prince. 



70 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

The view from the tower, where a communicative 
soldier is stationed to point out all places of interest, 
is very fine. Not more than half a mile off, on the 
other side of the Thames, lie the village of Eton and 
Eton College in plain sight. We could see the col- 
lege boys playing on the green. At the right we 
could see the house of William Penn and the little 
church and monuments in the graveyard where Gray 
wrote his immortal Elegy. Near by is Runnymede, 
where King John signed the Magna Charta. Ex- 
tending westwardly from the Castle is the Long 
Walk, three miles, bordered by forest trees. From 
the tower we looked down upon a garden of flowers 
in full bloom. A walk around the terrace of the 
Castle was very pleasant, and had there been time 
we should have been glad to take a stroll through 
the Park, which comprises about three thousand 
eight hundred acres. The village of Windsor is an 
interesting old place. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

|g)ONDO]Sr, July 12.— We have been to the top 
o^ of St. Paul's and conversed in the Whispering 
Gallery across or around the inner circle of its spa- 
cious dome. We have also attended service here, 
when we heard a good sermon by Rev. Dr. Wright, 
on the efficacy of prayer. The music was magni- 
ficent. There are two large organs, facing each 
other at the end of the choir or chancel, and near 
the pulpit, over which is suspended a sounding- 
board from the rim of the dome. One organist 



st. Paul's cathedkal. 71 

plays on both organs at once, by means either of 
pedals extending from one to the other under the 
floor, or by electricity. The grandeur of the sur- 
roundings added much to the effect, sitting there, 
as we did, under the beautiful dome, with statesmen, 
scholars, and warriors, all in sculptured marble, and, 
as we imagined, looking down upon us and listening 
to words of wisdom and to music whose echoes 
softly expired in the distant recesses of aisle, tower, 
and transept in strains of heavenly melody. Like 
Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's is a place of tombs 
and monuments to the distinguished dead. In the 
crypt lie the remains of Nelson and Wellington, 
side by side, and of Sir Christopher Wren, the archi- 
tect, who designed and superintended the erection 
of this magnificent structure, which was completed 
from its foundation in thirty -five years. The re- 
mains of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Benjamin West, Sir 
Thomas Lawrence, and James Barry were also bur- 
ied here, and among the principal monuments are 
those of Bishop Heber, John Howard, Sir John 
Moore, Nelson, Wellington, Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
Lord Cornwallis, Sir Ralph Abercrombie, and Dr. 
Johnson. Many of the officers and soldiers of the 
army, as well as sailors, painters, and poets are com- 
memorated by monuments mere or less elaborate. 
We were especially interested in one inscription, 
which we copied from the base of two life-size mar- 
ble statues, standing side by side in officers' uniform, 
as follows : 

"Major General Sir Edward Pakerihani and Major General Samuel 
Gibbs, who fell gloriously on the 8th of January, 1815, while leading the 
troops to an attack on the enemy's works in front of New Orleans." 

The tomb of Sir Christopher Wren bears the follow- 
ing inscription in Latin : 






72 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

"Beneath lies Christopher Wren, the architect of this church and city, 
who lived more than ninety years, not for himself alone, but for the public. 
Reader, do you seek his monument ? Look around! " 

St. Paul's stands in an elevated position at the end 
of Ludgate Hill, in the city of London proper. It 
is in the form of a Latin cross, five hundred and 
fourteen feet in length and two hundred and eighty- 
seven wide. It is built of Portland stone, and is 
said to have cost $4,000,000. The dome is supported 
by eight immense piers, each of them forty feet at 
the base. There are three domes, in fact; an outer 
one of wood, covered with lead, and an inner, with 
a brick one between. Its great bell, which strikes 
the hour, and is heard from a long distance, is never 
tolled except on the death of some one of the royal 
family. The view from the dome is superb. 

In the forenoon of the 4th of July, which was Sun- 
day, we went to Temple Church near Temple Bar. 
This church is more than six hundred years old, and 
used to be the church of the Knights Templar, as it 
is now of the Barristers. It contains many monu- 
mental effigies and sculptured portraits of its ancient 
owners. Oliver Goldsmith was buried here. Close 
by are the Temple Gardens, celebrated by Shaks- 
peare as the scene of the plucking of the red and 
white roses — the badges of the Houses of York and 
Lancaster. Temple Bar is so called from its being 
the boundary line between London and Westminster, 
which used to be marked by a bar, posts, and chains. 
These were superseded by a gate, which was taken 
down after the great fire, and on that as well as on 
the present gate, erected in 1670, the heads of rebels 
and traitors used to be exposed. This custom was 
continued as late as 1772. "The curious custom of 
closing the gates and not admitting royalty into the 



DEAN STANLEY. 73 



city until permission had been demanded of the 
Mayor standing on the city side, was last observed 
when the Queen opened the Royal Exchange in 1844." 
In the afternoon of the 4th we listened to a glori- 
ous discourse by Dean Stanley, in Westminster Ab- 
bey. The church was packed with attentive listeners 
as far as his voice could be heard. He took for his 
text the 21st and 22d verses of the fifth chapter of 
St. Matthew: "Ye have heard that it was said by 
them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever 
shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I 
say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his bro- 
ther without a cause shall be in danger of the judg- 
ment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, 
shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall 
say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." He 
spoke of the evil of hard words, both between indi- 
viduals and nations; and in the concluding portion 
of his sermon he referred to the relations between 
Great Britain and the United States, comparing the 
past with the present, in a manner most gratifying 
certainly to every American present. "What Amer- 
ican," he asked, "is there who is not proud of that 
English ancestry which he then [in the time of the 
Bevolution] spurned behind him? What Englishman 
is there who is now not proud of the once dreaded 
name of Washington?" and he quoted this stanza: 

"No distance breaks the tie of blood: 
Brothers are brothers evermore; 
Nor wrong, nor wrath of deadliest mood, 
That magic may o'erpower." 

• So much pleased were we with this discourse, that 
on the following day we ventured to address a note 
of thanks to the Dean, and request a copy of it for 
publication at home. Taking this note to the Abbey, 



74 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

we were directed to his adjoining residence, and de- 
livered it to his doorkeeper, who shortly returned 
with an invitation from the Dean for us to walk up 
stairs, and we were conducted to a room which ap- 
peared to be used both for a sitting and dining room. 
In a few moments the Dean came in with his sermon 
in his hand and extended to us a cordial greeting. 
He is, we should judge, not much over sixty, slightly 
built, rather below medium size, and frail looking. 
His manners are wholly free from anything ap- 
proaching ostentation, and his countenance beams 
with kindness and benevolence. He loaned us his 
sermon without hesitation, and we have copied and 
sent a large portion of it for publication in the Chris- 
tian at Work, New York. In the course of a pleas- 
ant conversation he called attention to a large num- 
ber of portraits suspended around the room, observing 
that they were those of nearly all of his predecessors. 
We took leave, much pleased with our call. On a 
subsequent day, when we called to return his sermon 
and get him to decipher some words we could not 
make out — much of it was written in a sort of short 
hand — he received us as though we had been old 
acquaintances, and gave us two of his autographs. 
We have his photograph, also bearing his autograph, 
in our collection. 

At the solicitation of the publisher, we took to 
London a bound volume of the Christian at Work, 
New York, for the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, who had 
expressed a desire for it because it contained several 
articles he had written for it. On our arrival we 
addressed a note to him, asking where we should 
leave the volume, and expressing a desire to hear 
him preach. In answer he sent us two tickets, 
and said he would be pleased to have us bring the 



SPURGEON. 75 



book to his Tabernacle on a succeeding Sunday, 
when he should be present to conduct the services. 
Accordingly, when the day arrived, we ventured 
to invite an English lady friend to accompany us, 
believing that by using the big volume for one ticket, 
three of us would be able to pass the guard at the 
gate. Strangers are admitted only on tickets of ad- 
mission. We were correct in our calculation, being 
all admitted without hesitation, and immediately 
conducted to good seats on the main floor. The 
clerk was then sent for the book, which we had left 
with the gatekeeper, and took it with our card to 
Mr. Spurgeon's study, returning with an invitation 
for us to call at his room after service. The main 
floor of the Tabernacle is provided with three hun- 
dred and fifty- one pews, the first gallery with one 
hundred and forty, and the second with one hundred 
and seven. These galleries, which are very wide, 
extend entirely around the interior, and at one end 
there is a spacious raised platform instead of a 
pulpit. Under this is a low and more spacious plat- 
form, which was occupied by inmates from a blind 
asylum and other people. The room is lighted by 
a small dome or lantern from above, as well as from 
the side windows. It is well adapted for hearing; 
and there are seats for five thousand persons, or 
space for six thousand five hundred sitting and stand- 
ing. It was crowded the day we were there. The 
leading singer sits, with many others, on the pulpit 
platform, and occupies a position at the front during 
the singing. There is no musical instrument, and 
the congregation, all standing, generally assist in 
singing. Mr. Spurgeon read the first hymn, and 
afterward repeated the whole or part of each verse 
as the singers took it up, he joining with them. 



76 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



During the singing of the following two hymns, 
while the congregation stood, he kept his seat, join- 
ing occasionally in the music. Without any attempt 
at eloquence, he gave us a plain, practical discourse 
occupying about one hour, commanding rapt atten- 
tion throughout. His strength evidently lies in his 
powerful physique and voice, and in the earnestness 
with which he enforces his views, founded in piety 
and deep conviction. As soon as the services were 
over, we all three went to his study, and, although 
many were waiting to see him, were first admitted. 
He received us in a jovial manner, as though he had 
long known us, remarking upon our royal cognomen, 
and inquiring, with much apparent interest, after his 
friends in New York. He was much pleased to re- 
ceive the volume, saying he desired to preserve 
copies of his own writings. He wished us every 
happiness in our journey, and his bearing toward us 
was in all respects most cordial. He is broad-shoul- 
dered, stout, with a full round face, and under fifty, 
if he is over forty years of age. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

m 



"ONDON, July 15.— Through the politeness of 
W^ our minister to the Court of St. James, General 
Schenck, who gave us a card of introduction to Hon. 
Mr. Anderson, M. P. from Scotland, we have been 
several times into the House of Commons and House 
of Lords while those bodies were in session. Mr. 
Anderson waited upon us with great kindness each 
time we called on him, and on his pass we were 



PARLIAMENT. 77 



readily admitted to the galleries. Once we had seats 
in the Diplomatic Gallery of the House of Lords on 
General Schenck's official admission tickets, which 
were not supposed to be transferable — thus, by in- 
ference, at least, having had the honor of represent- 
ing the United States before that august body. From 
our short experience we might judge that the position 
is an easy one to fill. The gallery set apart for the 
Diplomatic Corps and other officials is but one or two 
seats deep, and extends on both sides of the hall. 
Among the few members we heard speak in the 
House of Lords was Lord Stanhope. The proceedings 
were of little interest to us. In the House of Com- 
mons, where the members sit with their hats on, we 
were better entertained. Once or twice the ladies of 
our party (some English friends were with us) were 
given seats in the ladies' gallery, set apart for the 
ladies of the nobility, where they are shielded from 
the gaze of the members by a lattice work; or, more 
properly speaking, perhaps, where they are thus pre- 
vented, either by frowns or fascinating smiles, from 
bringing to bear any undue influence upon the mem- 
bers below. We were sorry not to see Gladstone; 
but we saw Disraeli, Mr. Ward Hunt, head of the 
Admiralty, and Mr. Bright, several times, and heard 
the two former speak. We also saw Professor Faw- 
cett, the blind member, whose wife, a charming 
lady, we one day called on with our English friends; 
and some other noted members were likewise pointed 
out to us. On one occasion the question before the 
House was whether there should be a naval school 
established at Dartmouth, the government side being 
in the affirmative. Many members spoke, and the 
debate was both lively and spicy. When the vote 
came to be taken, a division was called for, tellers 



78 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



were appointed, and every member except one left 
the room — those in the affirmative going out at one 
door at the end of the hall, and those in the negative 
at another on the opposite side. A stranger at our 
elbow informed us that the single member remaining 
was from Ireland, and that he was allowed to keep 
his seat for the reason that he came to the House 
as he came into the world, without either arms or 
legs. We do not know on which side he voted; 
but one thing is certain, though he might be the 
most inveterate Fenian, he could never be guilty 
of taking up arms against his government. In the 
vote thus taken the government was sustained by 
ten majority only. 

One afternoon Mr. Anderson took us all through 
the Parliament buildings, into the libraries, commit- 
tee-rooms, chapel, (there is a small chapel here with 
a baptismal font in one corner,) crypt, and out into a 
fine open space, accessible only to members, directly 
on the banks of the Thames, where they can go for 
a quiet siesta, or for exercise, without the danger of 
being disturbed. He showed us in the crypt the 
exact spot where Guy Fawkes placed the gunpowder 
to blow up the Parliament buildings in 1604 — the 
grand object of which horrible plot was "to prepare 
the way for the restoration of the Roman Catholics." 
This bold conspiracy, notwithstanding it was "com- 
menced by its daring contrivers with every possible 
precaution that seemed necessary to secure success," 
failed through timely discovery. The present House 
of Parliament, or New Palace of Westminster, stands 
on the site of the old Houses of Parliament, which 
were destroyed by fire in 1834. It fronts nine hun- 
dred feet on the river, and covers eight acres of 
ground. It is a noble structure, but it would look a 



WESTMINSTER HALL. 79 

great deal handsomer were it on an eminence. It 
stands low, communicating with Westminster Hall, 
which is sometimes flooded at high tides by the 
waters of the Thames. The exterior is of hard mag- 
nesian limestone, from Yorkshire. Its cost was 
$8,000,000. 

Westminster Hall, founded originally by William 
Kufus in 1097, "was rebuilt in its present form by 
Richard II., who, in 1399, kept his Christmas here 
with great magnificence, the number of his guests 
amounting to ten thousand each day." The main 
room, which is on the lower floor, is immense, and 
this is the principal entrance to the Houses of Parlia- 
ment. It " appears to have been designed for royal 
banquets and entertainments, and the coronation 
feasts have been held here for ages. Courts of jus- 
tice were, however, held here in very early times, in 
which the sovereign himself was accustomed to pre- 
side; and the ancient stone bench, whereon the mon- 
arch sat, is said to be yet in existence beneath the 
pavement in the upper end. Hence the Curia Dom- 
ini Regis, or Court of King's Bench, which is one of 
the four Supreme Courts now regularly held beneath 
this roof — the other Courts being Chancery, Com- 
mon Pleas, and Exchequer." These Courts are now 
held in comparatively small rooms, opening from 
the main hall, in which the barristers in their black 
gowns and powdered horse-hair wigs, looking very 
funny, are every day seen promenading with one 
another or with their clients. We often looked into 
these Court-rooms, where the judges, also in wigs 
and red robes, were seated on high benches, consid- 
erably above, the bar. "In cases of Parliamentary 
impeachment the spacious area of the hall itself is 
fitted up as a Court, as it was for the trial of William 



80 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Wallace, Sir Thomas More, the Protector Somerset, 
Thomas, Earl of Stratford, Minister of Charles I., and 
also that of his equally ill-fated sovereign. Here, 
likewise, in modern times, were tried Hastings, for 
misconduct in India; Lord Byron, Lord Ferrers, 
Lofd Melville, in 1806, for misappropriation of the 
public money. The last coronation dinner held there 
was that of George IV." 

Directly across the street from the House of Par- 
liament and Westminster Hall is Westminster Ab- 
bey, all on the west side of the Thames, which at 
this point runs due north, while further down it runs 
nearly due east, so that the London Tower, on the 
same side of the river, stands on its northern banks. 
Viewing the Thames from the dome of St. Paul's, it 
has the appearance of a huge serpent pursuing its 
tortuous course through the city. The magnificent 
Westminster Bridge spans the river immediately at 
the north end of the Parliament House. Five min- 
utes' walk from here, by Westminster Abbey, on 
Victoria street, is the office of the United States lega- 
tion. General Schenck and daughters reside near 
Kensington Gardens, in the western part of the city. 
He told us he frequently walks to or from his office 
through Kensington and Hyde Parks. They hold a 
weekly reception, and we have done ourselves the 
honor of paying our respects to them, when we were 
happy to meet at their house Mrs. Henry Howard, 
the accomplished daughter of George W. Riggs, Es- 
quire, on her way to the Hague, where her husband, 
so long and favorably known as one of the secreta- 
ries of the British legation in Washington, has been 
promoted to a higher position. General Schenck, 
being in ill health that day, was not present at the 
reception; therefore his daughters, who appear to be 



NEWGATE PRISON. 81 

very popular with our English cousins, were obliged 
alone to do the honors of the occasion. 

In one or two of our excursions through the city 
we have had a good view of Newgate, the principal 
prison, so well known, in London. This is where all 
criminals sentenced to death for crimes committed 
in the county of Middlesex suffer the last penalty 
of the law. "The antiquity of this building is pro- 
digious if viewed in connection with what it was 
meant to continue or restore; for on this spot stood a 
Roman fort. If considered in its present capacity 
as a prison, it is still very ancient. During nearly 
seven hundred and fifty years have the guilty or un- 
fortunate been here incarcerated. An underground 
passage leads from the cells to the dock in the Old 
Bailey Sessions House;" and there is a prison van, 
which just fits this aperture, thus preventing the 
escape of prisoners during removal. 

In our wanderings one day we went as far as 
Bonhill-field Burying-ground, in Bonhill Row, Fins- 
bury. It appeared to be away to one side of the 
city; and our guide said it used to be one of the 
great fields appertaining to Finsbury Farm, Bonhill- 
field, Wallow- field, and the High -field, where the 
three windmills stood. It was used as a pest -field 
during the great plague of 1665, when nearly one 
hundred thousand of the population of London fell 
victims to that terrible disease. Soon after it was 
converted into a cemetery for the Dissenters, and so 
it has been continued ever since. John Bunyan was 
buried here, in the vault of his friend Strudwick, a 
grocer, in whose house he died August 31, 1688. 
There is a fine monument to him here with figures 
illustrative of the ' ' Pilgrim's Progress. " The mother 
of John and Charles Wesley was also buried here, 
6 



82 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



and so was De Foe. The inscription on her tomb 
states that she, was the mother of nineteen children. 
From near the tombs of all these noted persons we 
plucked leaves to send home. On the opposite side 
of the street to the cemetery we saw the house in 
which John Wesley died, and his tomb is just in the 
rear thereof. 

We can go nowhere in London without seeing; 
more or less to interest. One day, abandoning all 
thought of care, we walked all the way from Cheap- 
side along: Newgate street, Holborn viaduct, High 
Holborn, Oxford street, and Edgeware and Bishop's 
road, to our own lodgings in Queen's road, half the 
length of the city. Hearing only English spoken, 
we might have forgotten and thought ourselves in 
New York; for some portions of the business streets 
seemed like Broadway. Cheapside is the great cen- 
ter of the retail trade, and perhaps the most active 
and crowded part of London. It is said to have 
derived its name from having been the market of 
the Ward of Chepe. " It was the northern boundary 
of Roman London, all beyond being marsh and bog." 
In 1631 it was called the "Beauty of London." It is 
full of historical recollections. It was here that Ed- 
ward I. erected one of the nine Crosses raised in 
memory of Eleanor, his Queen. It stood for over 
three hundred years on the spot where her body 
rested, on the way from Lincoln to Westminster, 
but was finally "demolished on the 2d of May, 1643, 
in the mayoralty of the regicide Isaac Pennington, 
to the noise of trumpets, the tramp of horses, and 
the cries of the multitude." It was here that Wat 
Tyler caused Richard Irons and others to be behead- 
ed in 1381; and in 1450 Jack Cade caused Lord Say 
to be put to death here in the same manner. 



CROSSING THE CHANNEL. 83 

Having purchased Cook's tickets to Geneva, via 
Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Austria, taking 
the principal cities in Switzerland and Chamouni in 
our route, we must bid good-bye to London for the 
present. 



CHAPTER XV. 

tMSTERDAM, July 18.— Here we are in Hol- 
land, stopping at the Amsted Hotel, the lead- 
ing public house in Amsterdam, and said to be the 
best in Holland. We left London in a pouring rain, 
at seven p. m., on the 16th, took the steamer from 
Harwich about nine, and reached Rotterdam next 
morning at half -past nine, after a most wretched 
night of sea -sickness, so far as the writer was con- 
cerned. His fair companion having been so fortu- 
nate as to secure a lounge, passed the night quite 
comfortably. No such luck for him! Every berth 
in the gentlemen's cabin was engaged, and the best 
that could be done for him was a mattress on the 
cabin floor across the stern of the boat, a hard pillow 
about two inches thick, one blanket, and a wash-bowl 
as a compagnon de lit. This arrangement, how- 
ever, had this advantage — it avoided the necessity 
of undressing. But such a bed, and such an irreg- 
ular rocking, pitching, and twisting! All night long 
the boat was dancing a crazy jig, and you might 
as well have tried to dodge chain-lightning as at- 
tempted to accommodate yourself to its erratic mo- 
tions. Travelers between England and the Conti- 
nent may well bid the day good speed when they 



84 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

may make the passage by rail through a submarine 
tunnel. We made only a short stop in Rotterdam, 
but long enough to see that it is a large city; and we 
had a good view of it as we approached it by the 
river Meuse, whose green banks, after such a night, 
were beautiful to behold. The city is threaded by 
canals, with draw and stationary bridges, and much 
of the communication is by ferryboats. In the mar- 
ket-place there is a bronze statue of Erasmus, and 
the house in which he was born, in 1467, is still 
preserved. 

From Rotterdam we proceeded to the Hague, the 
capital of Holland, and a charmingly neat and 
clean city, also abounding in canals. The streets 
and sidewalks are well paved and shaded by long 
rows of trees, and extending into the city stands 
a large forest, kept entirely clear of all underbrush. 
A drive of one or two miles through this forest 
took us to the "Queen's House in the Woods." The 
grounds around it are beautifully laid out, and 
adorned by flower gardens, fountains, and statuary. 
In appearance the exterior of the Palace is unpre- 
tending, but its rooms and furniture are remarkably 
fine. The ball - room is very spacious, and is full of 
paintings, many of which illustrate the life of Fred- 
erick, the first King of the Netherlands. Family 
portraits adorn the billiard - room. There is a Chi- 
nese and likewise a Japanese room, each provided 
with furniture from those countries respectively. 
The former has furniture upholstered with white 
embroidered silk, and the latter with light green 
silk, elaborately worked, all gifts to the Queen from 
those countries. We understand that the Queen's 
family consists of herself, husband, and two sons. 
The King occupies his Palace in the city, paying 



THE HAGUE. 85 



only occasional visits to the Queen; Harper's Hand- 
book says "once a year/' but that seems unrea- 
sonable. We passed but did not enter the King's 
Palace. We have visited the old and new House of 
Lords and House of Commons, having to pay fees 
to three attendants before we could get in; as we 
were obliged to pay, also, one guilder (one franc 
each) admission fee to the House in the Woods. 
The chief attraction was in the National Museum, 
(admission free,) formerly the Palace of Prince Mau- 
rice, where there is a large collection of paintings, 
mostly by Dutch and Flemish artists. We saw here 
the famous picture of the "Young Bull," by Paul 
Potter. It is stated that Napoleon seized this picture 
and had: it hung up in the Louvre in Paris, notwith- 
standing the Dutch government offered him $100,000 
to leave it undisturbed. It represents a young bull 
with white and brown spots, a cow reclining on the 
greensward before him, a horned ram, with a sheep 
and lamb, lying at his head, and an old cowherd 
leaning against a large tree, under the shade of 
which and an adjoining tree all (life size) seem to 
be resting in quiet contemplation. Another noted 
picture is "Venus Asleep," by Poussin. We turned 
away, without reluctance, from a large painting by 
Rembrandt, representing the dissection of a dead 
man by a professor and his pupils. It is considered 
a great work of art. There is here also a Royal 
Cabinet of Curiosities, comprising costumes of the 
Chinese and Japanese,, a large collection of Japan- 
ese ware, weapons, coats -of -mail, and thousands of 
other things of more or less interest. 

Amsterdam is an hour and a half by rail from the 
Hague. Here, too, there is a Royal Palace, regarded 
as the most magnificent building in the city. We 



86 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




AMSTERDAM. 



AMSTERDAM. 87 



went into the bell -tower and stopped to hear the 
chime of bells there. From this point we had a 
good view of the city and surrounding country. The 
whole city rests on piles, and it is divided by deep 
canals into no less than ninety islands, which are 
connected by hundreds of bridges. Descending from 
the tower, we were shown through the various rooms 
of the palace, one of which, called the marble room, 
is unusually superb, and in all of which are many 
fine paintings, the most striking of which, perhaps, 
is a large one representing the blowing up of his 
ship by Van Speyk rather than surrender to the 
Belgian forces. In the Museum, likewise, we saw 
some five hundred pictures, with some of which we 
were much pleased. Those of the Dutch and Flem- 
ish schools predominate. One large painting by 
Rembrandt represents the " Night Patrol;" and a still 
larger one, considered the masterpiece of Van der 
Heist, "represents a banquet of the Garde Bour- 
geoise, which took place June 18, 1648, in the grand 
Salle de St. Loris Docle in the Single at Amsterdam, 
to celebrate the conclusion of the peace of Munster." 
There are twenty- five figures, said to be all portraits, 
in this picture. Rembrandt's "Five Masters of the 
Draper's Company" is also regarded as one of his 
greatest works. 

From the Museum, wishing to take a carriage to 
the Zoological Gardens, we were not a little amused 
as well as puzzled to find that we were utterly unable 
to make any of the hackmen understand what we 
wanted. We did not understand a word of Dutch, 
and those "foreigners," as Mark Twain might call 
them, were equally ignorant both of English and 
French, which we tried upon them in vain. At 
length an omnibus driver, who understood a few 



88 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

words of French, came to our relief, and, showing 
a handful of Dutch coin, we managed, through our 
interpreter, to get one of the hackmen to understand 
what he was to receive to carry us to the Zoological 
Gardens and thence to our hotel. He took us to the 
Gardens, where the gate - keeper, who speaks French 
as well as Dutch, instructed him, at our request, to 
be ready at a given hour to convey us the rest of the 
way. When that time arrived he was nowhere to 
be found, and a perfect bedlam was raised around 
our heads by a dozen other hackmen who wished to 
get a job. Finally, disgusted with all Dutch hack- 
men, we started on foot, and soon came to a street 
car which brought us to our hotel, where we expect- 
ed our hackman would call for his money. Strange 
to say, however, he did not make his appearance; 
but, as we were to leave that afternoon and desired 
to be on the safe side, we handed the stipulated sum 
to the cashier of the hotel, to be given to the hack- 
man should he call; and this notwithstanding the 
latter fulfilled a part only of his contract. The 
probability is that he knowingly left us in the lurch 
because he secured a more lucrative job, and that 
the hotel clerk appropriated our small change to his 
own use. Before visiting Deutschland again we in- 
tend to take a few lessons in Deutsch. 

There are many elegant dwelling houses in these 
cities, and one peculiarity of nearly all of the dwell- 
ings is that small mirrors are hung extended outside 
of the windows, the one reflecting up and the other 
down the street, so that the inmates may see what 
passes outside without being themselves seen. All 
the women in the streets are very neat in appear- 
ance, and either wear funny looking caps pinned on 
by fantastic looking pins, or go with their heads 



ANTWERP. 89 



bare; and they wear, also, long aprons. Some of 
the laboring classes of both sexes wear pointed 
wooden shoes. Netherlands is an appropriate name 
for Holland, since its whole territory, we imagine, 
is flat, low land. As far as we have been able to 
see the face of the country, it is a web of dykes and 
canals, navigated by boats and canoes. Lots, not 
containing more than one acre of ground, on which 
stand the farm-house and other buildings, are en- 
tirely surrounded by water; and the country is every- 
where dotted with windmills. 

Antwerp, July 20. — For compartment compan- 
ions from Amsterdam last evening we had three 
young Scotch gentlemen on their way to Switzer- 
land, and a part of the way two interesting young 
school girls, who, understanding only Dutch and 
Flemish, contributed much to our amusement, while 
they were equally amused by our strange language 
and efforts to make ourselves understood by them. 
In company with our new Scotch acquaintances we 
have had a very enjoyable day in Antwerp, which is 
a much more interesting city than we expected to 
see. Here are three or four of the most beautiful 
and richly adorned churches in Europe; and this is 
the native place of Antoine Van Dyck, whose paint- 
ings, with those of Rubens and others, contribute so 
much to their adornment. Here, in the principal Ca- 
thedral, is the great masterpiece of Rubens, "The De- 
scent from the Cross," and what is regarded as his 
next best work, "The Elevation to the Cross;" also, 
his "Resurrection of the Saviour," and " Assumption 
of the Virgin." In the Church of St. James, too, 
there are many of his paintings, among them his 
"Holy Family;" and in the Church of St. Augustine 
his great picture of "The Marriage of St. Catherine." 



90 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

In the latter church "The Ecstacy of St. Augustine/' 
by Van Dyck, attracts marked attention. On the 
outside of St. Paul's Church there is what purports 
to be a representation of Calvary — statuary figures 
representing Christ on the Cross, Mary Magdalene, 
and others in attendance; beneath, Christ lying in 
the sepulchre, a sort of grotto; and at the side, Pur- 
gatory, behind an iron grating, exhibiting numerous 
unfortunate sinners, apparently suffering the "tor- 
tures of the damned." We ventured to suggest that 
they had suffered long enough, and that St. Paul's 
would be improved by the removal of the whole 
frightful picture* There is a very large collection of 
paintings in the Museum, including one of Van 
Dyck's greatest works, "The Crucifixion," Rubens' 
"Dead Christ," and his "Crucifixion of Christ be- 
tween two Thieves;" "Boors Smoking," by Teniers, 
also a native of Antwerp, and other noted works by 
celebrated artists. Among the artists copying pic- 
tures here, w^e met one evidently very accomplished, 
a gentleman without arms, who held his brush by 
the toes of his right foot. His name, which he 
wrote with a pencil in our catalogue, is Charles 
Felu. He was engaged in and had nearly finished 
copying a portrait of "Our Saviour," regarded as a 
very superior work of art; and strange as it may 
seem, the copy appeared equal in every respect to 
the original. We here sat in a chair which Rubens 
kept as his favorite seat. We rode along Rubens 
street past the house, a handsome edifice, in which 
Rubens lived and died, and over the front of which 
there is a bust of the great painter. In the square, 
in front of the Cathedral, there is a fine bronze 
statue of him. 



BRUSSELS. 91 



CHAPTER XVI. 

p^RANKFORT, July 26.— In one hour from Ant- 
Jy§k werp we reached Brussels on the evening of 
the 20th of July, and remained there about three 
days. Brussels is pleasantly situated on the river 
Senne, although some of the streets running back 
from the river are rather too steep. It stands mostly 
on the acclivity and top of a hill. It has a mag- 
nificent park, two grand boulevards, and many fine 
squares. On the 21st there was a royal parade, 
and religious services were held at the Cathedral 
of St. Gudule, it being the anniversary of the late 
King's death. There was a great crowd and con- 
siderable military display. With some difficulty we 
obtained admission to the church, where we hired 
chairs to stand upon, in order to see over the heads 
of the populace. There were present the King and 
Queen, judges of the court, officers of the army, 
all the foreign ministers, and other officials, all in 
their uniform or regalia, save the American consul, 
who represented the United States on that occasion, 
our minister, Mr. Jones, having recently resigned 
and left for home. The judges wore long robes, 
faced with scarlet silk. Most of the officials had 
taken their seats before the arrival of the King and 
Queen, on whose appearance they all rose, and the 
King and Queen bowed pleasantly right and left 
to them as they passed to their seats at the right 
of the altar. We had a good view of all these 
dignitaries. The King is a tall, fine looking man, 
between forty and fifty, we should judge, and the 
Queen, a very pretty lady, is somewhat, younger. 
At the close of the ceremonies they passed out first, 



92 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

bowing as when they came in. There was a grand 
flourish of trumpets both inside of the church and 
in the streets. We have a photograph of the pulpit 
of this church, and, like the one in St. James' at 
Antwerp, of which also we obtained a good photo- 
graph, it is remarkable for the beautiful carving, 
which must have cost no small sum. "The pulpit 
of St. Gudule is formed of wonderfully carved groups 
of figures, representing the expulsion of Adam and 
Eve from Paradise. The figures are the size of 
life. Above the pulpit, which is supported by the 
tree of knowledge, stands the Virgin, holding the 
infant Jesus in her arms, who is endeavoring to 
thrust the cross into the serpent's head." In fact, 
the churches, some of them, in both these cities 
abound in wonderful carvings, mostly of wood, but 
some in ivory — all remarkably perfect. In the old 
square in the lower part of the city, where the Hotel 
de Ville is situated, the architecture of four several 
centuries is represented. Brussels is regarded as 
perhaps the best place for laces; therefore we made 
it an object to visit several lace stores and manu- 
factories of lace in different parts of the city. All 
the people here whom we met spoke French, thus 
enabling us to transact business with them much 
easier than we could do in Holland, where Holland- 
aise and Flemish are the languages generally spoken 
among the common people. Besides several of the 
churches, all interesting as containing magnificent 
altars and many fine paintings, we visited the Na- 
tional Gallery of Fine Arts, and a gallery of very 
beautiful modern paintings and statuary near the 
King's Palace. The former is divided into three 
departments; "the first contains the paintings of 
the great Flemish masters, from Van Eyck to Ru- 



BRUSSELS. 93 



bens, and their numerous pupils; the second contains 
a splendid Library of two hundred thousand volumes 
and twenty thousand manuscripts; many of the lat- 
ter were collected at a very early period by the Dukes 
of Burgundy, and are of great value; the third, the 
Museum of Natural History, which is in the lower 
story, and surpasses in extent and value every other 
in the kingdom." In the gallery of modern paintings 
are many of Verboeckhoven's works, remarkable 
for their true resemblance to nature, his sheep and 
cattle being perfect. We have been also to the fa- 
mous Wertz Gallery, where there are some very 
curious pictures, better designated, perhaps, as mon- 
strosities. There is one horrible picture here, rep- 
resenting a person come to life in his entombed 
coffin. Among the natural pictures we were partic- 
ularly struck with one of an old concierge sitting 
asleep by a window, his newspaper open before him. 
Beneath was a picture of two beautiful maidens — 
one leaning over the window- sill, showing both bare 
arms and bust, and the other showing head, shoulder, 
and one side of bust. Near the floor a fine picture 
of a dog, with white nose and paws, lying asleep 
in his kennel by his lunch bowl. Another, the pic- 
ture of a maiden leaning out of a window on her 
right arm, and showing most of her bosom, in her 
right hand a flower and in the left a bouquet, and 
pressing back the green window curtain. Looking 
over her shoulder is the beautiful face of another 
maiden. All these figures stand out from the canvas 
in a wonderful manner. 

On the 22d there was a grand military review by 
the King; and from the number of regiments present 
we infer that the whole military force of Belgium 
was called out on that occasion. Preferring to visit 



94 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the Gallery and other places of interest, we did not 
seek positions on the field, but we saw great bodies 
of troops marching through the streets, affording 
a good opportunity to judge of their appearance. 
What struck us as most remarkable was the small 
size of the men. Compared with some of our own 
regiments we used to see in Washington during the 
late war, they were little more than pigmies; never- 
theless, they doubtless understand well how to handle 
the musket and saber. Beyond the military the 
crowd was immense. On the evening of the 21st we 
witnessed splendid fireworks at the foot of the Park. 
Our pleasant Scotch friends took leave of us in 
Brussels, where we at the same time made the ac- 
quaintance of Mr. Usher, United States Marshal, 
from Massachusetts, with whom we made a trial to 
find our Minister, not then knowing that he had 
gone home. 

We left Brussels at two o'clock p. m., and arrived 
at Cologne at ten p. m. on the 23d. We have never 
anywhere seen more productive fields than we saw 
on this route, particularly between Brussels and 
Liege. They are loaded with grain, now being cut 
and stacked, rank potatoes, beets, clover, etc. On 
this part of the route the face of the country is quite 
level, and the order in which trees are growing in 
the fields and on both sides of the highways, together 
with the abundant crops, gives the observer a land- 
scape view on which it would seem the eye could 
never tire. 

At Cologne the greatest interest centers in the 
Cathedral, which, although commenced in 1248, is 
not yet completed. It is most remarkable for its 
great dimensions and magnificent Gothic architect- 
ure. As a Gallery of Art it is far behind two or 



COLOGNE. 95 



three of the churches we visited in Antwerp; but it 
contains some fine paintings by Rubens, who was a 
native of this city, and other artists. Numerous 
wonderful relics are shown here, for pay — among 
them the bones of the three wise men of the East, 
who came to Bethlehem to present their offerings to 
the infant Saviour; one of St. Matthew's bones; and 
the skulls of the Magi, crowned with diamonds. In 
the Church of St. Ursula, likewise, there are other 
relics equally wonderful, including "the chains with 
which St. Peter was bound, and one of the clay 
vessels used by the Saviour at the marriage in Cana." 
The skeleton of St. Ursula herself, surrounded by 
the skulls of some of her followers, is also exhibited 
in a coffin; and in the Cathedral there is a large 
painting of her with her eleven thousand virgins, 
who, tradition says, made a pilgrimage with her on 
foot from Basle to Rome, where they were received 
with great honors by the Holy Father. She was the 
daughter of the King of Brittany; and on their re- 
turn, we have it from the same authority, that, 
because they refused to break their vows of chastity, 
they were all put to death by the Huns. 

There are at least three bridges across the Rhine 
at Cologne — one being built on boats; one of iron, 
three arched spans; and the third a square-built, 
massive structure of iron and stone, with two sep- 
arate carriage-ways. We walked over the latter, 
from which we had a good view of the river as well 
as of the city, through the business part of which 
we also chose to make our way on foot and look, at 
pleasure, at whatever attracted our attention, not 
forgetting to buy a couple of bottles of Cologne at 
the very headquarters of that celebrated article. 

At the moment of starting from Cologne up the 



96 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Rhine, at nine o'clock on the morning of the 25th, 
Mr. Trask, from Portland, Maine, who was travel- 
ing with his wife, introduced himself and wife to us, 
and we all became companions for the day, which, 
though a little raw, was passed very pleasantly. 
The varied scenery which came under our view as 
we glided along afforded us much pleasure. Cities 
and villages, castles and ruins of castles, sweet cot- 
tages and elegant mansions, with their adornings, 
terrace above terrace, sometimes to the number of 
thirty or more, along the rugged banks, covered 
with grape-vines — fields of waving grain — together 
presented a picture bpth novel and beautiful. 

" Above the frequent feudal towers 
Through green leaves lift their walls of gray, 

And many a rock which steeply lowers, 
And noble arch in proud decay, 

Look o'er this vale of vintage bowers." 

We were the most interested, perhaps, in the many 
castles on either side, the names of which we learned 
as we passed them. A few miles above Bonn, on the 
opposite side of the river, is the celebrated Drachen- 
fels, the highest of a group of seven mountains, on 
the summit of which stands an old castle, said to 
have been once the fortress and watch-tower of the 
robbers of the Rhine. 

" The castled crag of Drachenfels 

Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine, 
Whose breast of waters broadly swells 
Between the banks which bear the vine." 

At or near Falkensberg stands the old Cathedral 
of St. Clements and the restored Castle of Rhein- 
stein, the summer residence of Prince Frederick of 
Prussia. At the base of this Castle is a sweet little 
chapel, and both are nestled in a forest of shade 



THE RHINE. 97 



trees upon the side of the precipice, on a peak of 
which, near by, is an elegant summer house, resem- 
bling a Swiss cottage. On one of her visits to Prus- 
sia, Queen Victoria was entertained here. At Cob- 
lentz the river is spanned by boats, forming a bridge 
from that city to the strong fortification of Ehren- 
breitstein on a high point opposite. It is said that 
this fortification, perhaps the strongest in Germany, 
is capable of accommodating one hundred thousand 
men, and that provisions for eight thousand for ten 
years could be stored in its magazines. At Coblentz 
there is a royal residence sometimes occupied by the 
Emperor of Germany. Opposite the Castle of Eh- 
renfels is the celebrated " Mouse Tower," associated 
with the tradition graphically related in rhyme by 
Southey. The story goes that the summer and au- 
tumn had been so wet that in winter the corn con- 
tinued to grow and lay rotting on the ground; yet, 
rather than gather it, 

" Every day the starving poor 
Crowded around Bishop Hatto's door, 
For he had a plentiful last year's store." 

At length, having become tired of their begging, he 
appointed a day for them all to come to his great 
barn, promising to furnish them there with a win- 
ter's supply of food. 

" Rejoiced at such tidings, good to hear, 
The poor folk flocked from far and near; 
The great barn was full as it could hold 
Of women and children and young and old. 

" And when he saw it could hold no more, 
Bishop Hatto he made fast the door; 
And while for mercy on Christ they call, 
He set fire to the barn and burnt them all. 



98 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

" ' I' faith it is an excellent bonfire! ' quoth he, 
' And the country is greatly obliged to me 
For ridding it, in these times forlorn, 
Of rats that only consume the corn.' " 

The result was that the Bishop never slept again. 
The next morning he found the rats had eaten his 
portrait out of its frame on the wall, consumed all 
the corn in his granaries, and that an army of ten 
thousand of them was on its way to attack him. 
Filled with consternation, he hastened across the 
river and shut himself up in this tower; but the rats 
followed, and, breaking into the tower, soon de- 
voured him. 

"They gnawed the flesh from every limb, 
For they were sent to do judgment on him." 

A short distance above the " Mouse Tower" is 
"Bingen on the Rhine;" a place also made famous 
by song. We will not attempt to relate the story of 
the dying soldier whose home was "on the vine -clad 
hills of Bingen — fair Bingen on the Rhine." "He 
who runs may read." Most of the way, thus far, 
the shores on either side are more or less mountain- 
ous; but as we approach Johannisberg, celebrated 
for its fine wines, and as the residence of the late 
Prince Metternich, the country grows more level, 
and so continues as far at least as Mayence, where, 
late in the evening, we took the cars and arrived at 
our hotel in Frankfort about half - past eleven. 



FRANKFORT. 99 




CHAPTER XVII. 

UREMBERG, July 28.— Before leaving Lon- 
don we provided ourselves with a few £10 
circular notes, which we found very convenient, 
and, being drawn to our order, they were quite safe. 
On some parts of the continent they bring a small 
premium. Going to the bank in Frankfort on the 
morning of the 26th to get one of these changed, 
and observing in the same building the sign of the 
United States consul, we stopped to pay our respects 
to him, and were kindly received. Mr. Webster, 
the consul, had just returned from Homburg, and 
informed us that return tickets to that celebrated 
watering-place were sold for fifty cents each — the 
cars running several times a day. He proposed that 
we should make a trip there, and that he should 
meet us on our return late in the afternoon. To this 
we readily agreed. Meantime, however, we took a 
turn through the city to see some of the monuments, 
and Dannecker's noted statue of "Ariadne" — a nude 
female figure seated on a tiger. This statue, pic- 
tures of which are often seen, is regarded as a re- 
markable work of art. It is a novel way of showing 
off the beauties of the human form. It matters little 
what name is given to these statues. This is called 
"Ariadne." Some are called "Eve," some "Venus/' 
some "The Greek Slave," others "Proserpine," "Cly- 
tie," and so on. Near the villa in which this statue 
of "Ariadne" is exhibited is a massive monument, 
erected by the King of Prussia to the memory of 
the Hessians who fell in defense of Frankfort. The 
base is of granite, surmounted by a military device, 
cast from cannon taken from the French. In the 



100 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

city are the triple Gutenberg monuments, and fine 
bronze statue monuments also of Goethe and Schil- 
ler. Schiller's represents him crowned with laurel 
and holding a book in his hand. We spent a good 
part of the day delightfully at Homburg, which 
must not be, as it sometimes is, confounded with 
Hamburg, the great commercial city on the Elbe. 
Until within a few years, Homburg, like Wiesbaden 
and Baden-Baden, not to mention other similar 
watering-places, was a great resort for gamblers, 
and for summer recreation of everybody else who 
might desire a charming location where they could 
enjoy free of charge the mineral waters of the 
springs, the daily music of a large band, and the 
luxurious drawing and gambling rooms of the Kur- 
saal. It is a paradise of a place. The springs, the 
waters of which are like those of Saratoga, are situ- 
ated in a grove, some fifteen minutes' walk from the 
Kursaal, which is on the main street of the village. 
Connected with the Kursaal, which is still kept open 
and provided with a reading-room where newspa- 
pers from all quarters may be perused, there is a 
first - class restaurant, beautiful garden, music pavil- 
ion, etc. On the north side, fronting the garden, 
through which are walks leading toward the springs, 
there is a spacious veranda, where visitors may sit 
and sip their coffee, wine, or beer, and listen to the 
music of the band. In one part of the building there 
is a theater room, and another part is devoted to 
baths, medicinal or not, at one's pleasure. Since 
gambling has been prohibited here, visitors, if they 
come to stop a few days or more, are taxed a rea- 
sonable sum toward defraying the expenses of the 
band and keeping everything in order. We were 
happy to meet here Mrs. Senator Sprague, who, with 



FRANKFORT. 101 



one of her children and maid, had come over from 
Nauheim, where they are stopping, to spend the day. 
On our return to Frankfort, Mr. Webster met us at 
the station, and took us in his carriage to the Palmer 
Gardens, a new and most charming place on the 
border of the city, where there is a Kursaal, not 
unlike that at Homburg, and where the band dis- 
coursed sweet music during the evening. There are 
here, also, an extensive hot -house of plants, flowers, 
etc., and an artificial lake for boating and skating. 
On the following day Mr. Webster again joined us 
and showed us other 'principal places and objects of 
interest in the city. The Romer, or Town Hall, is a 
singular - looking old building, in which the ancient 
Emperors of Germany flourished, and where we saw 
full-length portraits of forty -six of them. Like 
many of the houses in the old part of the city, the 
building stands gable - end to the street and has very 
steep roofs, with windows of very small -sized glass. 
The different roofs connect at the eaves. In the 
Jewish quarter we saw the house in which the elder 
Rothschilds, three generations back, were born, and 
which the family would never allow to be taken 
down, notwithstanding some of the adjoining houses 
of the same character fell a few years ago, and, as 
we were informed, killed some of the inmates. This 
and several others of the old houses near it, look as 
though they were ready to fall. They bear curious 
inscriptions and devices over the doors, and are in 
all respects unique. Luther's house, which we also 
saw, has a much more respectable appearance; and 
so has the house in which Goethe was born, August 
17, 1749 — the date of his birth inscribed in German 
over the door, where his father's coat of arms, three 
lyres, is still preserved. 



102 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Our next stopping place was Nuremberg, six hours 
by rail from Frankfort, on the afternoon of the 27th. 
This is off the usual route of European travelers; 
but we do not regret the diversion. Nuremberg is a 
very old city, of some eight hundred thousand in- 
habitants. It is situated on both sides of the river 
Pegnitz, which is crossed by six or eight bridges. 
The old wall and dry moat fifty feet wide, and the 
turrets on the wall still remain. We entered the 
city over a bridge spanning the deep moat, and 
through one of the old gateways. The houses, built 
in every imaginable shape, on narrow, tortuous 
streets, and all their surroundings, give the place a 
very ancient and odd appearance. The next morn- 
ing after our arrival we called on our consul, Colonel 
James M. Wilson, from St. Louis, who spent the day 
with us in going about the city, and invited us to 
tea, when we made the acquaintance also of his 
accomplished wife, and of the vice-consul and sis- 
ters. We went first to the old Inquisition Chamber, 
which is under ground; or, rather, there are several 
rooms connecting with each other, some of which 
we saw only by the light of a tallow candle, carried 
by our female guide. The walls of the first room 
are covered with instruments of torture. Here is 
what was called the "Spanish Cloak," being a bar- 
rel with one head out, and the other perforated to fit 
the neck of the victim, whose head was encircled by 
a wire cage. Thus enrobed, drunkards, and others 
guilty of such minor offences, were condemned to 
walk the streets. The "Torture Chair," seat, arms, 
and back is filled with iron spikes, and the victim 
was strapped to it and weights attached to his hands 
and feet. If this was not sufficient, a spiked cylin- 
der was rolled over his body. Here, likewise, are 



NUREMBERG. 103 



thumb - screws, thumb -hammers, instruments for 
cutting off, little by little, the ears, nose, tongue, 
and fingers, and for pulling out the tongue; also 
ladles for applying melted pitch or lead. A kind of 
spring tongs, with long handles, was used to catch 
persons to be arrested. This instrument, on being 
pressed against the back of the neck, would open 
and encircle it by a "Spanish Collar" of iron spikes, 
and then spring back, holding the victim as in the 
jaws of a steel trap. Other instruments were for 
cutting off the head; and these, with the beheading 
block, are also to be seen. Still lower underground 
are other rooms, or vaults, provided with other 
frightful instruments of torture. One is called the 
"Stretcher," by which the victim was slowly torn 
limb from limb by means of a windlass, his feet 
being fastened to iron rings in the floor, and his 
arms to a yoke under a hole in the ceiling, through 
which the windlass was worked. Another, called 
the "Spanish Mule," is a high board, sharpened at 
the upper edge, and the victim, seated thereon, had 
heavy stones attached to his suspended feet. "The 
Cradle" is a half cylinder, with pointed spikes for 
mattress and pillow. Colonel Wilson informed us 
that as late as 1803 a woman was rocked to death 
in this cradle. Her husband being accused of theft, 
both were put to the rack to make them confess. 
He survived the proof of his innocence, but soon 
after died also from his cruel treatment. The cir- 
cumstance had the good effect to cause the people 
to rise against such horrible punishments, and the 
law was abolished. The most barbarous instrument 
of all remains to be described — "Die eiserne Jung- 
frau," being an iron case about eight feet high, with 
the form and features, when closed, of a woman. 



104 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

It is provided with doors like a wardrobe, on the 
inside of which are twenty- three iron spikes, from 
six to eight inches long — one for each eye, and 
twenty- one to pierce the body of the victim. Being 
placed inside, the doors were closed upon him and 
pressed home by means of a lever from the opposite 
wall of the narrow vault. This, of course, was 
certain death; but that there might be no mistake, 
the body was dropped through a trap door under- 
neath, and, falling upon a set of knives worked by 
machinery, was cut in pieces! We secured photo- 
graphs of this "Iron Maiden," showing both her 
exterior and interior features. 

From viewing the statue and house of Albert Dii- 
rer, and the house of Hans Sachs, we drove a mile 
or two out of town to see Diirer's tomb in the old 
cemetery. It is a plain stone, about one foot thick, 
resting on a low molded base, with a raised head- 
piece for the inscription. As Longfellow, in his 
poem on Nuremberg, beautifully says: 

"Emigravit is the inscription on the tombstone where he lies; 
Dead he is not, but departed — for the artist never dies." 

Hans Sachs, the cobbler poet, was also buried here. 
Many of the tombstones were very singular. One 
had upon it a bronze casting of a man's skull, jaw 
and thigh bones, with a nail through the skull, to 
indicate that the person buried here was killed by a 
nail driven into his head by his loving wife. But 
the oddest sight, perhaps, was at the house in the 
cemetery where the dead are laid out, as if asleep in 
bed, with the handle of a bell - wire in one hand, that 
they may ring a bell should they come to life. Their 
bodies are conveyed there immediately after death, 
and allowed to remain several days before burial. 



NUREMBERG. 105 



We looked through the glass windows and doors at 
seven corpses lying there at the time. On the way 
to the cemetery, cut in an old stone wall skirting one 
side of the road, are seven representations of figures, 
the principal of which is that of Christ bearing the 
cross — the last description showing that he had 
fainted and fallen under it. They are very odd- 
looking. 

We went into the Church of St. Lawrence, a 
Gothic building erected in 1274-1477. The western 
front, with a majestic chief portal, is adorned with 
splendid sculpture.3 of events in the life of Christ. 
On the north is the magnificent "Bridal Door." In 
the interior, in addition to many splendid pictures, 
the beautiful star - window over the organ, and other 
painted windows of beautiful design, there is the 
" Sakramentshaeus' Cherr," the superb work of Ad- 
am Krafft — a shrine reaching from the floor nearly 
to the roof, the base of which consists of three kneel- 
ing figures — the master workman and his two as- 
sistants — supporting the whole structure on their 
shoulders. Of this Longfellow writes: 

" In the church of sainted Lawrence stands a pix of sculpture rare, 
Like the foamy sheaf of fountains, rising through the painted air." 

There are several superbly carved altars in this 
church; and the pulpit, also, is very remarkable. - 

The Church of St. Sebald is equally interesting. 
It dates back to the tenth century. Both of these 
churches, each having two towers, were wrested 
from the Roman Catholics by the Protestants in the 
Reformation, and are still held by them. The main 
door on the south side of St. Sebald's has a repre- 
sentation in bas-relief of "The Last Judgment," a 
work, we should think, of years; and the "Bride's 



106 



SKETCHES OP TRAVEL. 



Door," on the north, is richly ornamented by figures 
showing the Wise and Foolish Virgins. The great- 
est treasure of this church is the world -renowned 
bronze "Shrine of St. Sebald," by Vischer— 1508- 
1519. The admirable statues of the Twelve Apostles 
stand at the side of pillars, which support the can- 
opy; above them the Prophets, masterpieces of art 
and workmanship. At the base of the eight pillars- 
Nimrod, Samson, Perseus, Hercules; and the virtues' 
Strength, Temperance, Charity, and Justice: 

"In the church of sainted Sebald, sleeps enshrined his holy dust 
And in bronze the Twelve Apostles guard from age to age their trust." 

Behind the high altar are three figures in bas- 
relief representing Judas' Kiss, the Mount of Olives 
and the Lord's Supper. The stained windows are 
splendid. In this church there is a taper, in a small 
suspended vessel of oil, which has been kept burning 
for two or three hundred years, and the order is that 
it shall never be extinguished. A person, in recog- 
nition of some merciful deliverance, left by will a 
sum of money, the interest of which goes to defray 
the expense of this perpetual offering. 

We visited a fine Gallery of paintings, among 
which are many by Albert Diirer-one the portrait 
of an old Burgomaster, is considered remarkable 
"King Midas as Judge, the Passions assailing him-" 
"The Triumphal Entry of Maximillian;" and the 
"Band of the Town Musicians," all by Diirer, are 
also regarded as masterpieces. In allusion to him 
Longfellow observes: 

" Fairer seems the ancient city, and the sunshine seems more fair 
lhat he once has trod its pavement, that he once has breathed its air! " 

The Castle here, founded by Emperor Conrad II 
in the tenth century, is another point of some attrac- 



DONAUSTAUF. 107 



tion, as having been the favorite residence of nearly 
all of the old German Emperors. It contains some 
fine pictures, by Diirer and other artists. In differ- 
ent squares there are four beautiful fountains, and 
several monumental statues, including one of Me- 
lancthon. In fact, we could not go the length of a 
square anywhere in the city that we did not find 
more or less to excite our curiosity. It is altogether 
one of the most quaint and interesting old places we 
have visited. 

"Quaint old town of toil and traffic, quaint old town of art and song, 
Memories haunt thy pointed gables like the rooks that round them throng." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

2)ERLIN, August 1. — We left Nuremberg at sev- 
en on the morning of the 30th ultimo, and 
going to Ratisbon,— or Regensberg, as it is called 
on some of the maps, — we hired a coachman to drive 
us six miles to the Walhalla, or Temple of Fame, 
a magnificent white marble edifice, erected by the 
late King of Bavaria, in the northern end of which, 
opposite the main entrance, is a niche destined to 
receive his statue. It is situated on a hill several 
hundred feet in height, overlooking the Danube and 
surrounding country for a long distance. Its length 
is two hundred and eighteen feet, its breadth two 
hundred and two feet, and it is surrounded by fifty- 
two fluted Doric columns, like the Parthenon at 
Athens and the Church of the Madeleine in Paris. 
The main saloon is one hundred and sixty feet long, 
forty- eight wide, and sixty feet high. It is intended 



108 SKETCHES OP TRAVEL. 

as a great memorial hall, and to contain, among 
other works of art, the busts and statues of the 
most distinguished men of Bavaria. Being compar- 
atively new, the number is not yet large; but among 
about one hundred busts are those of Albert Diirer, 
Martin Luther, Schiller, Goethe, Mozart, Wallen- 
stein, and Charlemagne; and there are also six an- 
gelic w^hite marble statues of "Victory," by Rauch. 
We say angelic, because they are full-length figures, 
life-size, of beautiful females, with wings. They 
are differently posed, but all except one hold one 
or two wreaths, and this one holds a laurel branch 
in her right hand. They are all exquisitely beautiful, 
and we readily recall them to sight as well as mind 
by photographs of them in our collection. There 
is, we think, a carriage road to or quite near to 
the Temple on one side; but, as being the shorter 
way, we were left to walk a quarter of a mile to 
it in a foot-path up the steep hill, covered to the 
top by a fine forest. Were this magnificent Temple 
not so far out of the course of ordinary travel, it 
would undoubtedly be universally visited and ad- 
mired. Returning by coach to the village or city 
of Ratisbon, we again took the train and reached 
Eger at eight p. m. , where we stayed over night. 

It was a long ride from Eger to Leipsic, our next 
stopping place (it took from half past eight in the 
morning till half past four in the afternoon) but 
we were fortunate in having for a traveling com- 
panion Mr. E. J. Sobeck, of Luditz, Bohemia, who, 
although unable to speak his own Bohemian tongue, 
could speak German, English, French, Spanish, and 
Italian. At present his principal business is that 
of an extensive hop merchant, shipping enormous 
quantities of that article to all quarters of the world. 



LEIPSIC. 109 



He is also an architect and a professional musician, 
but has not practised the latter profession for many 
years. He told us that in 183G he traveled through 
most of the United States as a member of a Bohe- 
mian band, playing on the clarionet. He said they 
performed in Washington, and spoke of the pleasure 
he enjoyed in a call on President Jackson, whom 
they saluted with a serenade. From Baltimore to 
Pittsburg they rode in a mail stage. Subsequently 
he was the leader of a band in the service of the 
Queen of Spain; and when Jenny Lind was in her 
glory he traveled and performed for a time with her. 
He is a man of commanding appearance, fine ad- 
dress, and evidently well educated; in fact, our true 
ideal for a Senator. Everything on the route was 
interesting to us. The buildings are odd looking, 
the costumes of the peasantry queer, especially of 
the women, who work with the men in the fields; 
and the manner in which oxen are harnessed, with a 
yoke passing directly below their horns, thus draw- 
ing from the head instead of the breast, added to 
the novelty. Cows are also made to work in the 
same manner. The crops seem abundant. At the 
stations, where very short stops were made, beer 
was brought for sale at the car windows. It is 
offered in thin pint glasses the shape of wine casks, 
and sold very cheap, glass and all — the glass to 
be thrown away after its contents are drunk. We 
have, however, preserved one of them, and may find 
it useful. 

Our approach to Leipsic carried us directly through 
the field where the principal part of the great battle 
of Leipsic was fought, on the 16th, 17th, and 18th o£ 
October, 1813, between the army of Napoleon on the 
one side, and the allied armies of Prussia, Russia, 



110 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and Austria on the other, resulting in the defeat of 
Napoleon, who occupied the city at the commence- 
ment of the battle. His force was said to have 
numbered one hundred and seventy thousand men 
against three hundred thousand of the allied army, 
whose loss was only fifty thousand, while his was 
eighty thousand. Sir Walter Scott, in his "Life of 
Napoleon," gives a description of the town and a 
vivid account of the battle. He says: "The venera- 
ble town of Leipsic forms an irregular square, sur- 
rounded by an ancient Gothic wall, with a terrace 
planted with trees. Four gates — on the north those 
of Halle and Ranstadt, on the east the gate of Grim- 
ma, and on the south that called St. Peter's gate — 
lead from the town to the suburbs, which are of 
great extent, secured by walls and barriers. Upon 
the west side of the town, two rivers, the Pleisse 
and the Elster, wash its walls, and flowing through 
meadows divide themselves into several branches 
connected by marshy islands." On this side, thus 
protected, Napoleon was enabled, or permitted, lest 
his troops if headed off at every point might become 
desperate, to keep open a line of retreat toward the 
Rhine. It is supposed that he did not expect any 
serious attack on the northern side; therefore his 
preparations were chiefly made on the southern side 
of the city; but on the second day the Prussian 
General, Blucher, made a violent attack, and ob- 
tained great advantages on the north side. The 
next day was occupied, without any serious conflict, 
by both armies in preparation for the final struggle 
of the 18th, which resulted in Napoleon's defeat and 
iziost disastrous retreat. In retreating, nearly his 
whole army was obliged to pass through the city; 
and, although commenced on the night of the 18th, 



LEIPSIC. Ill 



it was morning before all succeeded in making their 
escape. They were then fiercely pursued by the 
victorious allies, joined by the Saxon and Baden 
troops, who, at the moment of his defeat, had aban- 
doned Napoleon; and the fight was continued hand 
to hand through the city. Added to this, the only 
bridge to serve as an exit for the whole French 
army having been mined by Napoleon's orders, to 
be blown up as soon as his army should be safely 
over, was, through some mischance, thus prema- 
turely destroyed, and a large number of the French, 
unable to escape, were taken prisoners. 

It was with no slight interest that we looked upon 
the scene of this great battle, during which Napoleon 
had his headquarters at the Rathhaus, or Town Hall; 
and it was in this Hall that the commander of the 
allied army, Marshal Schwarzenberg, afterward died. 
We visited the market-place, from which we were 
soon, however, driven by an awful smell of what 
they called cheese; went to the University, through 
the principal business streets, park, etc. Not caring 
to stop here longer, we left on a slow train at one 
in the afternoon, and reached Berlin, the capital 
of the German Empire, at half -past six, on the 
31st of July. 



112 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

^ERLIN ? August 4. — Our first day in Berlin, 
August 1, was Sunday, and in company with 
Hon. H. N. Conger, of New Jersey, United States 
Consul at Prague, and his wife, we went to the 
house where it was expected religious services in 
English would take place, but none were held, there 
being no minister, and we turned our steps toward 
the King's Palace, to which we were admitted on 
payment of one mark, about twenty- five cents, each, 
and were shown through the principal rooms. This 
magnificent edifice, called the Old Palace, has an 
interior inclined plane walk, wide enough for a car- 
riage-way, paved with brick, to the third story. 
Whether the old sovereigns used to ride over this 
road or not, we did not learn; but we found it easy 
of ascent. The seven or eight rooms shown to us 
were sumptuously furnished, and the Royal Chapel 
contains many fine works of art. The throne room 
is very large, and is gorgeously decorated. Another 
splendid room contains statues of the Brandenburg 
Electors and various allegorical figures. Before en- 
tering these rooms, as in the Temple of Walhalla, 
we were all obliged to put on over our shoes large 
felt slippers, which could be kept on only by sliding 
along without raising the feet. The floors of pol- 
ished wood are as smooth as glass, and this precau- 
tion is observed to prevent injury. There is a story 
to the effect that this Palace was formerly haunted 
by a ghost in the shape of a lady in white who made 
her appearance only when some member of the royal 
family was about to depart from this life. At the gate 
of the Palace are two bronze horses with grooms. 



BERLIN. 113 



On entering Berlin we were at once attracted to 
its magnificent boulevard, called Unter den Linden 
strasse, which runs from one end of the city to the 
other. The Royal Palace and many other splendid 
mansions, as well as shops, are situated on this 
street, at the head of which, where it enters a forest 
of grand old trees, is the Brandenburg gate, sur- 
mounted by a magnificent triumphal arch erected in 
1789. On top of this arch is the car of victory, 
which Napoleon took to Paris, and returned after 
the battle of Waterloo. Just beyond this gate, in 
the edge of the grove, stands the new monument to 
commemorate the victory of the Germans over the 
French in their late war. It is very grand and 
beautiful. Its base is of polished stone, like the 
Scotch marble, with bronze entablatures on the four 
sides, representing in bas-relief a battle, the surren- 
der, return home of the army, and their welcome 
reception. The likenesses of the Emperor William, 
Bismarck, and Von Moltke are readily recognized. 
Others, doubtless, are equally good. Next above 
these entablatures is a gallery surrounded by marble 
pillars, and next a tall column of granite or sand- 
stone, embraced by three rows of cannon cut in the 
stone, pointing upward, and connected by wreaths, 
all in gold leaf. The whole is surmounted by a 
splendid statue of Victory, also in gold leaf, with a 
wreath in her right hand and a scepter in her left. 

In the middle of Unter den Linden street is the 
colossal equestrian statue of Frederick the Great — 
one of the grandest monuments, no doubt, in Europe. 
The pedestal is of granite, twenty- five feet in height, 
on the four sides of which are bronze groups, life- 
size, of thirty- one of the leading generals and states- 
men of the Seven Years' War. Over these, on each 



114 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

corner of the pedestal, are figures of Justice, Pru- 
dence, Fortitude, and Temperance; "between these 
are has -reliefs representing different periods in the 
life of Frederick: the Muse teaching him history; 
Mercury giving him a sword; walking in the gar- 
dens of his Palace, surrounded by his favorite com- 
panions, greyhounds; playing on. his flute; in the 
weaver's hut, and drawing the plan of a battle 
after his defeat at Rollin. On the front tablet is 
the following inscription: 'To Frederick the Great. 
Frederick William III., 1840, completed by Fred- 
erick William IV., 1851.' The equestrian statue is 
seventeen feet high, and most perfect in all its pro- 
portions; a mantle hangs from the monarch's shoul- 
ders, his stick hanging from his wrist; all is most 
perfect and true to life." 

We have visited the Museum, at the entrance of 
which stands a fine bronze statue of the Amazon, 
and an enormous vase of polished granite sixty- six 
feet high. The city abounds in statues, the fronts 
of several of the mansions on Unter den Linden 
street being surmounted by them. The exterior 
front of the Museum is ornamented by frescoes, 
representing allegorically the creation of the world. 
The interior consists of three departments — the An- 
tiquarian on the first floor, the Sculptures on the 
second, and the Picture Gallery on the third. The 
number of interesting things here is endless; and we 
cannot attempt any lengthy description. Among 
the noted pictures is Raphael's "Madonna Ancajani," 
representing the Virgin and child in the stable; a 
series of twelve paintings, by Van Eyck, called 
"The Worship of the Spotless Lamb;" "lo and the 
Cloud," and "Leda and the Swan," by Correggio; 
"Resurrection of Lazarus," by Rubens; and "St. 



CHARLOTTENBURG. 115 

Anthony Embracing the Infant Saviour," by Mu- 
rillo. We were particularly interested in many of 
the relics to be seen here, including Napoleon's hat 
and his decorations as Emperor, which, in haste to 
escape, he left in his carriage at Waterloo; also the 
walking cane, flute, and the uniform of Frederick 
the Great, which he wore on the day of his death, 
and a cast of his f^ce after death; likewise the 
tobacco pipes and other articles which belonged to 
his father. 

The principal shops here are unusually fine; and 
many of these are under or in an extensive arcade 
abounding in almost everything to attract the eye 
and invite the expenditure of money. 

One evening, in the heart of the city, we went to 
a gorgeous beer garden, an open space capable of 
holding ten thousand people, surrounded by build- 
ings with shade trees, and lighted by seventy thou- 
sand gas jets in every form of beauty almost that 
ingenuity could invent. It presented a perfect fairy 
scene; and there were two fine bands, one in a 
balcony on either side in the center, and they played 
alternately. Visitors could be seated or promenade 
at their pleasure. 

An excursion of a few miles to Charlottenburg 
was very enjoyable. Here is a plain Palace built by 
Frederick I.; but what we went specially to see were 
the monuments of Frederick William III. and his 
Queen, Louise, so celebrated for her beauty, and a 
photograph of whose full length portrait is now 
before us. Their tomb and marble monumental 
statues are in a small Doric temple. The statues 
are separate, each in a reclining position, as upon a 
bed or lounge, and raised on a beautifully carved 
and paneled marble base. The works are considered 



116 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




SANS SOUCI. 



POTSDAM. 117 



the masterpieces of Ranch, the sculptor previously 
mentioned in these sketches. The temple is located 
in one of the sweetest of groves. 

On the 3d of August, in company with the Rev. 
Henry M. Field and niece, now on their tour around 
the world, and of his nephew, Lieutenant Field, on 
leave of absence from the United States steamship 
Franklin, we passed the day most agreeably at Pots- 
dam, eighteen miles by rail from Berlin. There are 
here five royal residences, called, respectively, the 
Royal Palace, the New Palace, the Marble Palace, 
Babelsburg, and Sans Souci — all of which we visited. 
As some of these Palaces are two or three miles 
apart, we hired a coachman for the day. They are 
all situated in a beautiful park or garden, adorned 
with fountains and statuary. In the old Palace, 
or in Sans Souci, we saw some of the furniture used 
by Frederick the Great, including stuffed chairs, 
in some of which he used to have his dogs sit with 
him at table; and on the covering of one in which 
he died are spots stained by his blood, from having 
been bled in his last hours. The rooms containing 
this furniture are said to be nearly in the condition 
in which he left them. The apartments which Vol- 
taire used to occupy when on his long visits to the 
King were also shown to us. The New Palace, 
erected by Frederick the Great after the Seven Years' 
War, is very costly and grand, and contains many 
fine paintings and other rare works of art. One 
great hall, called the Grotto, is a marvel of art and 
beauty. It is spacious, and lined throughout with 
shells and precious stones artistically arranged. For 
instance, flowers are represented by shells, amethyst, 
sapphire, amber, crystal, onyx, agate, coal, quartz, 
copper, silver, and gold, in their original state, etc. 



118 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

The large chandeliers are entirely of white crystal. 
The fairies could not desire a more enchanting grot- 
to. Sans Souci is approached by a succession of ter- 
races, covered with vines and ornamental trees. 
There is a succession of low buildings with a colon- 
nade, from which a fine view is obtained of the gar- 
den and adjacent palaces. Frederick the Great died 
here, where we saw the old clock, which he used 
himself to wind up, and which was stopped at the 
moment of his death, twenty minutes, past two. 
Near by stands the famous historical windmill, 
which Frederick the Great desired to purchase, that 
he might pull it down and extend his gardens in 
that direction. The miller refusing to sell, the King 
brought suit against him and was defeated. He 
afterward erected the present windmill "as a monu- 
ment of Prussian justice. 5 ' In the vicinity of Sans 
Souci, also, there is a beautiful villa, called the 
Charlottenhof, built in Pompeian style, with a bath, 
fountains, statues, and bronzes, taken from the ruins 
of Pompeii. Here we entered two small rooms 
which Baron Von Humboldt occupied when residing 
with the King. His writing desk, chair, toilet stand, 
with comb, hair-brush, and small mirror, and other 
furniture, are seen as he left them. 

In the Garrison Church, an unpretending house 
of worship here, we stood by, and saw by the light 
of a candle, the metallic coffin of Frederick the 
Great. It is in a plain vault, to which we were 
conducted by the female custodian entrusted with 
the key to his tomb. 

After an hour for lunch and rest, we went to 
the Babelsburg Palace, the most charming of all, 
where the Emperor and Empress now reside. In 
Germany it is customary to sleep singly, and, like 



POTSDAM. 119 



us travelers, the Emperor has his single bedstead, 
and a very plain one indeed — a common low wooden 
article, such as you may buy anywhere in the shops. 
The walls of one small room are covered with a 
large number of horns and stuffed heads of wild 
animals, all slain by him in his earlier years. We 
were shown his walking stick, a rough twig with 
part of the bark peeled off, which he cut when a 
lad, and wiiich he still uses in his garden walks. 
We felt like doing a little Yankee whittling on it; 
but presuming he prefers it as it is, we did not 
offer our services. . 

Of all the palaces we have yet seen, could we have 
our choice for a residence we should choose this. 
Taken with all its surroundings, its beautiful apart- 
ments furnished with everything in the way of art 
that heart could desire, the enchanting view of river, 
fountains, gardens of flowers, or other charming 
sight, no matter in which direction the eye is turned, 
it comes the nearest to what we might fancy Para- 
dise to be of any place within our knowledge. Our 
advice is, if you go to Berlin do not fail to see Pots- 
dam. 



120 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XX. 

4l^RESDEN, August 16. — We came here from 
C^^f Berlin on the afternoon of the 4th instant, and 
were driven directly to a private boarding-house 
previously kindly recommended to us by Lorenzo 
Brentano, Esquire, United States consul, where we 
have been made comfortable and quite at home 
during our stay. The house is kept by the wife 
of a Hungarian officer, now absent on duty, to be 
gone two years. She is a lady of refinement, and 
has two beautiful children, a girl and boy. Dresden 
is pleasantly situated on both sides of the Elbe, 
the part called the "Old Town" being on the right 
and the "New Town" on the left bank of the river. 
The old stone bridge connecting the two towns is 
a magificent structure one thousand four hundred 
feet in length and thirty- six in width. "On the 
center pier a bronze crucifix has been erected to 
commemorate the destruction of the fourth pier from 
the side of the Alstadt by Marshal Davoust, to facili- 
tate his retreat in 1814, and its restoration the same 
year by the Emperor of Russia." There is also a 
railroad, carriage and foot bridge half a mile further 
down. 

We have spent a good deal of our time in the 
picture Galleries, which are among the finest in 
the world. Admission is free four days in the week. 
These Galleries, the Armory, and the Museum of 
Natural History are all contained in a building called 
the Z winger, which "was originally intended as the 
vestibule of a new palace, which Augustus II. in- 
tended to erect in the early part of the eighteenth 
century, but was never carried further. It is a fine 



DRESDEN. 121 



group of buildings surrounded by an inclosure plant- 
ed with orange trees, and forming an elegant prom- 
enade, much frequented by the citizens." Only an 
artist may hope to give any satisfactory description 
of the pictures in these Galleries, the more noted 
of which have been often described. Here is Ra- 
phael's "Madonna di San Sisto," with its angelic 
faces, a separate room being devoted to its exhi- 
bition. It is being constantly copied and engravings 
and photographs of it are common. Holbein's "Ma- 
donna" is likewise exhibited in a separate room set 
apart for it. Some of Correggio's most celebrated 
pictures are seen here, — "The Virgin and the Infant 
Christ in the Manger;" "The Virgin and Child with 
Saint George;" "The Virgin and Child with Saint 
Francis;" and his "Recumbent Magdalen." Other 
noted pictures are the "Reclining Magdalen," by 
Bartoli; "Tribute Money," by Titian; "St. Cecilia," 
by Carlo Dolce; "Adoration of the Wise Men," 
"Marriage in Cana," and "Finding of Moses," by 
Paul Veronese; "Judgment of Paris," and "Gar- 
den of Love," by Rubens; "The Entombment," by 
Rembrandt; Van Dyck's portrait of "Old Parr," at 
one hundred and fifty- one years; "Bacchus and 
Child," by Guido; "The Vestal Virgin," by Angelica 
Kauffman; and "The Chocolate Girl." This last is 
a full-length portrait of a beautiful waiting maid, 
carrying a cup of coffee on a small waiter. At- 
tracted by her great beauty, an Austrian nobleman 
made her his wife, and so she became famous as 
"La Belle Chocolatiere. " 

The Military Museum is a store of interesting rel- 
ics and curiosities. Here are all sorts of weapons, 
from the early ages to the present time. The trap- 
pings of the war horses are richly set with precious 



122 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

stones and gold and silver decorations, while the 
armor of their riders is fashioned to protect the 
human form in the fiercest contest with the spear or 
sword. We saw here the robes worn by Augustus 
the Strong at his coronation as King of Poland; also 
the horse -shoe which he broke by the pressure of 
his hand, his cuirass, weighing one hundred pounds, 
and his iron cap, twenty- five pounds. "He is said 
to have lifted a trumpeter in full armor, and held 
him aloft in the palm of his hand; to have twisted 
the iron bannister of a stair into a rope; to have 
made love to a coy beauty by presenting in one 
hand a bag of gold and breaking a horse - shoe with 
the other." We were not less interested in seeing 
the cocked hats of Peter the Great and Frederick 
the Great; also, Napoleon's boots, which he wore at 
the battle of Dresden, and the shoes he wore at his 
coronation. Goethe's note -book was also shown 
to us. 

The Museum of Natural History afforded an hour's 
agreeable entertainment. The wonder of Dresden, 
however, is the "Green Vaults." These are in the 
basement, or on the ground floor of the Schloss, or 
Royal Palace. An admission fee of two thalers 
($1.50) is charged for one to six persons. This is the 
treasury of the Saxon royal family, and is said to 
contain the most renowned collection of precious 
things on the continent of Europe. "It occupies 
eight rooms of the western wing of the Royal Pal- 
ace, and comprises not only the jewels and the silver 
vessels of the royal family, but also a great many 
specimens of the finest works of art from the end of 
the sixteenth to the beginning of the eighteenth 
century." The name "Green Vaults" is supposed 
to have come from the green hangings which origin- 



DRESDEN. 123 

ally adorned the rooms. This rich collection of 
treasures was begun in the reign of Duke George 
the Bearded (1539;) but "the Elector Augustus, who 
reigned between the years 1553 and 1586, was the 
first who deposited in these vaults a large collection 
of various rare and valuable productions of art, 
which he partly inherited, purchased, or received as 
presents from, other princely persons." What these 
sovereigns began their successors completed; "but 
it was not till the reign of Augustus the Strong, 
whose taste for the fine arts was cultivated and 
refined by travel and study, that this collection was 
raised to its present state of excellence." The first 
room is devoted to bronzes, the larger portion being 
statues, groups, and models of different sizes, and 
works of art, for the most part copies of ancient 
sculptures. The most remarkable of these is a cru- 
cifix, by John of Bologna. The expression given to 
the dying Saviour is very striking. Here is a small 
statue of Charles II. of England, known by the 
name of "St. George and the Dragon." It was 
worked out of a solid piece of iron by a blacksmith 
of Nuremberg, who lived in the sixteenth century. 
Next is a group representing "Hercules Crushing 
the Giant Antaeus," supported by his mother, the 
earth. "A Nymph Bathing" is a pretty thing, and 
so is "Venus with the Mirror." Scores of other 
interesting objects elicit our attention as we pass 
around the room and enter the Cabinet of Ivories, 
which are very wonderful in construction. The art 
of carving is here carried to the highest point of 
ingenuity and excellence. Almost everything is rep- 
resented from a goblet to a battle scene and allegori- 
cal groups of every nature. Here is a model of a 
Dutch Frigate, by James Zeller (1620.) On the sails 



124 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the arms of Saxony and Brandenburg are carved in 
relief, and on the frigate the names of the Saxon 
Electors till the time of George I. The cordage is of 
gold wire. The pedestal represents Neptune seated 
in a shell, drawn by two sea horses, while behind 
him sits a Triton blowing a conch. One group of one 
hundred and forty- one figures in one solid piece of 
ivory, represents "The Fall of the Angels." It is 
the work of a Neapolitan Monk of the seventeenth 
century, and was presented by a Princess of Sicily 
to the Saxon Court. The third room is called the 
Chimney Room, from its having a superb enameled 
fire-place, which was arranged by the Court Jeweler 
in the reign of Frederick Augustus the Just (1782.) 
This fire-place is highly ornamented with relievos of 
precious stones set in mosaic. Here, also, are tables 
exquisitely inlaid with jasper, agate, chalcedony, 
cornelian, lapis lazuli, and other choice stones, made 
to represent flowers, fruits, leaves, birds, animals, 
etc. We see, too, an endless variety of paintings 
in enamel, embracing portraits of distinguished char- 
acters, "The Judgment of Solomon," "The Repast 
of the Olympian Gods," "The Crucifixion," as well 
as others. There is a collection of ambers of remark- 
able beauty. One large piece is carved to represent 
"The Three Graces;" and among the smaller objects 
are some pitchers of elegant form and workmanship. 
Cups, vases, and sugar-boxes are formed of ostrich 
eggs, set in silver gilt, and there is no end of other 
curious objects. The fourth, or Silver Room, is filled 
with all kinds of articles of silver and gold, including 
goblets, plates, jewel-boxes, clocks, rare coins, etc. 
We made special note of a Danish drinking cup in 
form of a horn, on which are admirably engraved, 
in nine rings, small mythological figures and crowns 



DRESDEN. 125 



in gold enamel, adorned with rubies. It is of date 
1650. The next room is called the Hall of Precious 
Things. It contains, among other objects, a large 
collection of cameos and other gems in rock crystal, 
and a large number of costly vessels, also cut out 
of stones of the second class. One is a rock crystal 
goblet once belonging to Martin Luther. We were 
particularly pleased with an ebony cabinet in the 
form of a Turkish palace, adorned with a great 
number of large and small plates of pure rock crys- 
tal. But the most striking object, perhaps, in this 
room is an immense pearl, as large as a hen's egg, 
arranged with smaller pearls, to represent the Court 
Dwarf of the King of Spain. In the sixth room, 
called the Corner Closet, are numerous other curi- 
osities of almost every description. Here is seen the 
celebrated golden egg, a most surprising and ingen- 
ious work, intended for a scent box. " When opened 
on the bottom, a reservoir for perfumes is disclosed; 
when opened on top, at first is seen the yolk of 
an egg in gold and enamel; under this is a chicken 
of the same material, and inside this is a seal in 
the form of a Polish crown, richly adorned with 
small diamonds, pearls, and cornelian, on which is 
engraved a French device with the inscription, Con- 
stant malgre V Orage. This crown also opens and 
discloses a diamond ring, under the largest stone of 
which is painted a burning heart and the motto, 
Constance et Fidelite." In the Wood or Armory 
Room is a large collection of carvings in wood. The 
eighth is the Jewel Room, containing jewels valued 
at $15,000,000, including the Crown Jewels. Many 
of- these are described in the catalogue, to which we 
are mainly indebted for the few descriptions here 
given. In one case we saw two rings which be- 



126 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

longed to Martin Luther. On one of them is a small 
compass, on which is painted a skull of a dead body 
with a Latin inscription; the other is set with a small 
cornelian stone, on which are engraved a rose and a 
cross, the emblems adopted by Luther, and intended 
to signify that "a man's heart is in perfect peace 
when resting on the cross.' 5 It is said to have been 
worn by John George I. to the day of his death. In 
the same compartment is a gold ring with a stone 
bearing an eye; this ring belonged to Melancthon. 
Two other rings with small watches belonged re- 
spectively to Kings Frederick Augustus I. and An- 
thony. One glass shrine contains several fine canes, 
adorned with jewels; another, a magnificent collec- 
tion of swords of state used by the Saxon Electors in 
the sixteenth century. The hilts of most of the 
swords are made of gold and enamel, adorned with 
precious stones. Some of the hilts are of rock crys- 
tal. There are many precious arms from the East, 
such as Turkish, Japanese, and Burmese swords 
and poignards, adorned in the -highest manner; and 
among them we saw a splendid Polish saber, which 
belonged to John Sobieski. The mention of one 
other curiosity may suffice; this is the " Court of the 
Great Mogul," by Dinglinger. It represents the 
birthday of the Emperor of India in Delhi. In the 
center of a large silver slab, on a throne approached 
by steps, sits the Great Mogul. Around and before 
him are one hundred and thirty- two small figures 
done in gold and enamel in every variety of attitude. 
Here are represented deputations from the different 
Provinces of his Empire, who approach with their 
respective trains, doing homage and offering pres- 
ents of horses, elephants and camels, splendidly dec- 
orated palankeens, vases, clocks, and services, all 



DRESDEN. 127 



richly adorned with precious stones and executed in 
gold and enamel. Around the Emperor are his 
ministers and guards and three ambassadors in a 
kneeling posture on the steps. In the foreground is 
a balance which has reference to the ceremony of 
weighing the Great Mogul every year on this day 
and fixing the amount of tribute which each Prov- 
ince had to pay accordingly for the current year. 
Other designs represent thank and victory offerings. 
To accomplish this work, it is said to have taken 
Dinglinger, his brothers and sons, (not enumerated,) 
and fourteen other workmen, eight years, from 1701 
to 1708, laboring incessantly. It was then brought 
to Augustus the Strong, who bought it for fifty- 
eight thousand four hundred and eighty- five thalers, 
(about $44,000.) 

Something of the social life of the Germans may 
be seen at their beer gardens, where they resort for 
rest and recreation, and where one is always sure to 
hear fine music. Here all care for the time being 
seems to be dismissed, and in the presence of such 
tranquillity, even the nervous and hurrying Ameri- 
can is constrained to pause and learn a useful lesson 
in animal economy. At some of these gatherings at 
the "Grosser Garten" we saw many German offi- 
cers, whose fine physique and soldierly bearing ex- 
cited our admiration. Indeed, whenever we met 
the military of Germany we were particularly im- 
pressed by the splendid appearance of both officers 
and men, who were generally large, muscular, and 
looking every inch the trained soldier. Supposing 
the Belgian, whom we have seen, to be a fair speci- 
men of the French soldier, one need not wonder at 
the late triumph of Germany over France. 

There are in Dresden many magnificent streets 



128 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

with fine dwellings and shops, but Prager strasse is 
the principal street for shopping. Here is the place 
to purchase damask table linen and enameled porce- 
lain of every description. The traveler who stops to 
see the beautiful enameled brooches and other kin- 
dred things here should go prepared to carry some 
of them away, for there are nowhere in Europe more 
charming or desirable objects to purchase. 




CHAPTER XXI. 

^MlENNA, August 20.— After a pleasant sojourn 
\)Ytf of about two weeks in Dresden we left that 
city at 12:40 on the 16th of August, and arrived 
at Vienna near 8 o'clock next morning. The scenery 
along the river Elbe, between Dresden and Tscheth- 
in, a part of the country called Saxon Switzerland, 
is exceedingly bold and beautiful. Mounts Konig- 
stein and Lilienstein rise at some points to the height 
of twelve hundred feet in perpendicular columns, 
against which some of the inhabitants of the valley 
have built their houses, using these mountains for 
the rear walls thereof. These and many other houses 
on the way are quite odd in appearance, having in 
their roofs windows in the shape of eyes. Indeed, it 
is impossible to describe all the odd things that meet 
our sight, whether in country or city. All through 
Germany and Austria the costumes of the peasantry 
are more or less singular, and, as we have before 
remarked, it is a sight to behold the women, brown 
and stalwart, at work in the fields, reaping, mowing, 
gathering the crops, and doing men's work gener- 



DRESDEN TO VIENNA. 129 

ally, even to shoveling dirt and propelling the wheel- 
barrow in labor on railroads and other highways. 
We have seen them sawing and splitting fire -wood, 
and carrying it, and also coal, in huge baskets, from 
the streets up one or more flights of stairs — loads 
that one would think too heavy for the strongest 
man. In one instance we observed a man and wo- 
man, supposed to be husband and wife, sawing and 
splitting wood together. The saw was rigged with 
a handle at each end, and it was a wonder to see 
how quickly they would put it through a large stick 
of hard wood. There was no wrangling here about 
" woman's rights," — the woman being in every sense 
the equal of her husband. The women also attend 
the cattle, sheep, and geese in the fields, where there 
are no division fences. Of geese we have seen as 
many as two hundred in a single flock. It is laugh- 
able to see the railroad officials, all of whom are 
in uniform, as the train passes the smaller stations 
without stopping. At some of these, women as well 
as men are on guard, and as soon as the train nears 
the station, they may be seen standing erect and 
* ' dressed " as on parade, with hand to cap or hat by 
way of salute to the train guards, sometimes with 
one arm extended and pointing the way the train is 
going, as much as to say, "The road is clear; go 
ahead." We may be no safer on railroads here than 
in our own country; but somehow we get to feel that 
we are, owing perhaps to the much larger number of 
officers actively connected with the roads, both at 
the stations and on the trains, all of whom appear to 
understand their business thoroughly and to have an 
eye to the safety of passengers. 

We reached Lissa about sundown, at which place 
we changed conductors; but time was allowed there 

9 



130 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

for refreshments, and as our conductor was a gentle- 
man wearing the uniform of an officer, and had 
been very polite to us, we invited him to join us in a 
glass of lager. This familiarity, as we afterward 
learned from an intelligent Bohemian lady, an Eng- 
lish officer's wife whom we met there, was regarded 
as rather too democratic for this country, although 
she heartily approved of it. We ourselves, however, 
were innocent as General Grant would have been of 
anything out of place in this little act of courtesy, 
and we are free to say that we had no cause to 
regret it; for, through the good offices of that lady, 
or of the lager, or, more likely, of both combined, 
our conductor said a good word for us to his brother 
officer on the connecting train, and we had a whole 
compartment to ourselves all the way to Vienna, 
thus enabling us to secure as comfortable a night's 
rest as though we had been on a Pullman sleeping 
car. 

We need not say that Vienna is an exceedingly 
beautiful and attractive city; and of course we start- 
ed at once to see the prominent objects of interest 
in town and vicinity. What was the old city is 
only some three miles in circumference, and where 
its walls or fortifications once stood is now a fine 
boulevard. Its streets are comparatively narrow, 
and it has altogether an ancient appearance, while 
the new, exterior portion is airy, with wide streets 
and more elegant buildings. The new additions 
have increased the size of the city to twelve miles in 
circumference. We went first to the Imperial Paint- 
ing Gallery, in the Upper Belvidere. It is in a fine 
palace, situated in a commanding position, with a 
spacious flower garden in front. There is a very 
large number of paintings in the different rooms, 



VIENNA. 131 



nearly all of the celebrated old masters being repre- 
sented. We took note of several with which we 
were particularly pleased, among them the celebra- 
ted "Ecce Homo/' by Titian; "The Annunciation/' 
by Paul Veronese; "Diana and Callisto with the 
Nymphs/' by Titian; "The Saviour at the House of 
Simon the Leper, with Mary Magdalene at his Feet;" 
and "St. Andrew Refusing the Emperor Theodosius 
admission into the Church of Milan," by Rubens. 
Next we proceeded to the Armor Historical Gallery 
in the Lower Belvidere, where there is an extensive 
collection of armor of every description and a Mu- 
seum of countless other things, including a variety 
of ancient musical instruments, jewelry, Eastern 
costumes, etc. An hour or two was passed here 
agreeably. 

Schonbrunn, the summer residence of the Emperor, 
is situated a short distance from the city. It is a 
magnificent palace, and the grounds around it are 
exceedingly beautiful, being laid out into flower gar- 
dens and groves of shade trees, trimmed along the 
gravel walks to present perpendicular walls of green 
foliage, and adorned with sculpture and costly foun- 
tains. After being shown through the palace, which 
is furnished with everything to please the eye, we 
strolled through the grounds or rested in quiet con- 
templation, admiring their loveliness, and thinking 
of dear friends far away. In one of the rooms of 
the palace we saw a portrait of the unfortunate 
Maximilian, painted when he was a lad twelve or 
fourteen years of age, and a marble bust of him 
as an adult. How sad the reflections excited by 
these likenesses! Induced by Napoleon III. to as- 
sume the scepter of power in a foreign land; Em- 
peror in name only, for a brief period; betrayed, 



132 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

condemned to death, and shot; his poor, devoted 
wife distracted, overwhelmed with grief, a hopeless 
maniac! It was melancholy also to remember that 
it was in this palace that the young Napoleon II., 
Duke of Reichstadt, died. In the vaults of the 
Church of Capuchins we looked upon his coffin, 
which is of copper, bearing a raised cross. Near by 
are the coffin of his grandfather, Emperor Francis 
I., and those of Joseph I., (this is of silver,) Joseph 
II., Maria Theresa, and some eighty others of the 
royal family. The latest is that of an uncle of the 
present Emperor. He died only a few months be- 
fore our visit. 

The Cathedral of St. Stephen is the largest and 
most graceful perhaps in the city. Its spire, said to 
be one of the tallest in the world, is very beautiful. 
From near its top a view may be had of the Danube 
on the margin of the city, and of the great battle- 
fields of Wagram, Lobau, and Esling. Our guide- 
book states that the crypt of this church has been 
the burying place of the royal family for centuries, 
but for the last two hundred years only the bowels 
of the dead have been interred here, their bodies 
having been deposited in the Church of the Capu- 
chins, and their hearts in the Church of the Augus- 
tines, which is another of the handsomest churches 
in the city. This last is specially noted for Canova's 
celebrated monument to the Archduchess Christine. 
"It consists of a pyramid of marble thirty feet high, 
in the center of which is an opening representing 
the entrance to the vault. This is reached by two 
broad marble steps, which are the base of the pyra- 
mid. Ascending the steps is a figure representing 
Virtue bearing an urn, which contains the ashes of 
the deceased. By her side are two little girls carry- 



VIENNA. 133 



ing torches; behind them is a figure of Benevolence 
supporting an old man bowed down by age and 
grief. A little child accompanies him, the very pic- 
ture of innocence and sorrow. On the other side is 
an admirably drawn figure of a mourning genius, 
and at his feet crouches a melancholy lion. Over 
the entrance to the vault is a medallion of the Arch- 
duchess, held up by Happiness, while a genius is 
presenting her with a palm, indicative of success." 
We have a photograph of this monument. We vis- 
ited both St. Stephen's and the Church of the Augus- 
tines, as well as that of the Capuchins. 

Prader strasse is a grand boulevard, both for riding 
and walking; and the Volksgarten is also a place 
of great resort, especially in the evening, when 
Strauss' band plays. There are also other public 
gardens in other parts of the city. In the People's 
Garden, where we passed one evening, there are 
two fine equestrian statues of Austrian Emperors. 

Our last day's sight-seeing in Vienna, or rather 
in its vicinity, was planned by our United States 
minister, Hon. Godlove S. Orth, and admirably con- 
ducted by him, who, with his wife, met us at Mod- 
ling, not far from their country residence, twelve 
or fifteen miles from the city, and went with us 
several miles further on to Laxenburg, another sum- 
mer residence of the Emperor; thence to the fortress 
of the Empress Maria Theresa, called the Castle 
of Francenburg. The Palace of Laxenburg is com- 
paratively modest for a royal residence, and the 
Emperor residing there at the time of our visit, it 
was not open to strangers. We were, however, 
admitted into all parts of the little castle, which 
was erected by Maria Theresa, in imitation of a 
feudal castle, and is a complete museum of anti- 



134 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

quities. It stands in the center of an artificial lake, 
which adds greatly to the beauty of the surrounding 
landscape, all within the grounds of the Palace. 
In one of the rooms there is a facsimile of a cham- 
ber of torture, with its instruments, and in a small 
dungeon below, a full-sized figure of a man, repre- 
senting a prisoner in a sitting posture; and as we 
stood gazing at him, we were startled by the sudden 
rising of his right arm and movement of his body 
as though alive. . We soon saw that this was pro- 
duced by a secret spring, touched by our guide unob- 
served by us; but the trick was well calculated to 
frighten one for the moment. 

From Laxenburg we returned with Mr. and Mrs. 
Orth to Modling, where their carriage was waiting 
to convey us all to their house in the mountains. 
Here we spent the remainder of the day, taking 
dinner with the family, consisting of the parents 
and their son and daughter, both nearly of age. 
They occupy a rented house, formerly occupied as 
a monastery, delightfully situated upon the side of 
a sharp hill, from which a charming view of moun- 
tain and valley is obtained. We are indebted to 
their kindness and courtesy for a full measure of 
enjoyment. On our way back to the railroad station 
we stopped to see the ruins of the old Castle of 
Lichtenstein, and reached our lodgings at Hotel Tau- 
ber early in the evening. 



SALZBURG. 135 



CHAPTER XXII. 

jJNpjT UNICH, August 22. — We were so much de- 
^fb^ lighted with Vienna that we were reluctant 
to leave, and it is not a matter of surprise that so 
many of our patriots are willing to take up their 
residence there as Ministers of the United States. 
We were eight hours in reaching Salzburg, our next 
stopping place on the 20th of August, the hottest 
day we have felt in Europe, and one of the few 
in which summer clothing such as we wear at home 
would have been acceptable. The scenery along 
the route a part of the way was very beautiful. 
Salzburg, it may be remembered, is the place where 
the Emperors of France and Austria had a friendly 
meeting in the summer of 1867. It is situated on 
the swift river Salza, a considerable part of the town 
being built against the side of a steep mountain. 
There is a most romantic old castle here, now used 
principally as a barrack. It was built in the elev- 
enth century, and long occupied as the residence 
and stronghold of some of the nobility. It stands 
on a high bluff, or ridge of rocks, overlooking the 
city. This ledge was tunneled in 1767 by the Arch- 
bishop Sigismund. We were driven through this 
tunnel out a short distance into the country, and 
also through the principal parts of the town, pass- 
ing Mozart's house and monument. The streets are 
very narrow, and the houses quaint looking. The 
costumes of the people are peculiar. The women 
wear short gowns and petticoats with red or yellow 
aprons and black silk bandeaux. 

A carriage ride of twenty miles, much of it on the 
banks of the Salza, which is filled by the melting of 



136 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the snow plainly visible on the mountains, while the 
valleys through which we passed to Lake Konigs 
were smiling with the harvests and fruits of the 
season, was novel and romantic indeed. It took us 
among a strange people, the Tyrolese, where the 
Austrian money with which we started was at a 
discount, and where we were rowed by two strong 
women, with one man at the helm, for several miles 
on this lake, winding around between mountains 
seven thousand feet high on either side, and looking 
at some points as though about to fall upon us. We 
stopped at St. Bartholomew, a hunting seat of the 
King of Bavaria, where there is a public house and 
a small chapel. Notwithstanding the great height 
of the mountains bordering this lake, which are 
covered generally with low evergreen trees, and 
although in no place is the lake more than about 
half a mile in width, the water is said to be, as it 
looked, very deep. So high, steep, and near togeth- 
er are the mountains that the reverberations from a 
small gun of the caliber of a horse-pistol were nearly 
as loud as the report of a cannon. We returned to 
the place of starting on the lake, the time occupied 
in each direction being three-quarters of an hour. 
On the way back to town some of our party had a 
still more novel experience in visiting the Hallein 
salt mines. On arriving there some fifteen or twenty 
travelers, of whom the writer was one, made prepar- 
ations to enter. The ladies were required to put on 
caps and trowsers, the latter being large enough to 
admit their skirts, minus crinoline, while the gentle- 
men were furnished with frocks, overalls, and felt 
hats — both sexes being rigged out, also, each with a 
leather apron tied on behind, and each provided 
with a dull oil lamp or tallow candle to light them 



HALLEIN SALT MINES. 137 

on their way up an inclined plane through a narrow 
tunnel, a mile, more or less, into the side of a high 
hill or mountain. As one may well imagine, we 
presented a laughable appearance, and our most 
intimate acquaintances would have been unable to 
recognize us in this queer uniform. One thing, in- 
deed, which puzzled us not a little was to divine 
the object of putting our aprons on behind instead 
of in front; but on this point we were not long kept 
in the dark, albeit, we soon found ourselves in a very 
dark place. This cone - shaped tunnel, in which car- 
rails were laid, was of just sufficient width and 
height to admit of our walking comfortably in single 
file; but at distances of fifteen or twenty rods apart 
were recesses deep enough for standing room when 
the cars were passing, and, by stooping slightly, 
persons could pass each other in the narrowest part 
of the way. On the ground, along one side of the 
tunnel, runs an iron pipe, through which salt water 
is drawn from a lake in the interior, toward which, 
led by our guide, lamps and candles in hand, we 
were walking to the number of eight or ten (the rest 
of the company having preceded us) when we heard 
a rumbling sound, which we supposed to be of fall- 
ing water, or from the working of machinery in the 
mines. Instantly, however, we were undeceived by 
a cry from the German guide, interpreted by one of 
our party, that a car was coming and that we must 
get out of the way, the guide at the same time turn- 
ing and rushing by us as though frightened half out 
of his wits, thus increasing our alarm, while we all 
also turned and ran with the utmost speed we could 
command in this dark hole, and just succeeded in 
reaching one of those recesses above described when 
a car, a sort of wooden horse, loaded with passen- 



138 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

gers, flew past us! What the result might have 
been had we failed in this run for life no one knows; 
but in all probability some or all of us would have 
been seriously if not fatally wounded. In a few 
minutes another and then another car shot by, while 
we were debating whether we should proceed or 
return. Finally, one stout Dutchman and his wife, 
quite in a rage, not unjustly, turned back; but being 
assured that there was now no danger to apprehend, 
the rest of us again took up our line of march. It 
can hardly be doubted, however, that it was a fool- 
hardy undertaking, since, besides the risk of broken 
bones from the rail cars, we might all have been 
engulfed by the closing up of the tunnel, which was 
walled or lined over the top and sides only a short 
distance from its mouth. The rest of the way it was 
left precisely as excavated through the salt earth, 
which appeared to be of about the solidity of hard 
pin -gravel. No matter, we had enlisted for the 
campaign, therefore we pushed on, and soon reached 
a point where our leather aprons were brought into 
use. First, however, we think we came to the lake, 
which, surrounded by a row of dull lamps, appeared 
to be an acre or so in extent, and entering a boat we 
were rowed across it. It looked black and tasted 
very salty. Everything here looked black, except 
the dim lamplight, which served only to make dark- 
ness visible. We will not say that we thought we 
were in the infernal regions, but we will admit that 
a sort of shudder came over us lest, as out of a deep 
sleep, we might be in some such place! From this 
landing we now prepared to descend into a vast pit, 
seventy feet deep from the top over our heads — the 
distance from where we stood to the bottom being 
forty or fifty feet. A large, smooth piece of timber, 



HALLEIN SALT MINES. 139 

with a rope for a guard, extended at about the incli- 
nation of an ordinary staircase — if anything, a little 
steeper — to the bottom, and this was to serve as our 
carriage -way. Each gentleman now being furnished 
with a thick leather hand - shoe to protect his right 
hand in grasping the rope, our guide seated himself 
astride this beam and slid down a few feet, bracing 
himself to allow us to follow suit. This, with lamps 
in our left hands, we did at once — the ladies (our 
special companion not among them) . being sand- 
wiched between and holding to the shoulders of the 
gentleman who clasped the rope. The word was 
given, and off we shot into the darkness below. 
Our guide managed in some way to check our fall so 
that no bones were fractured; but, although this 
may be a very good way to prove the utility of 
leather aprons, especially when worn behind, we 
are not prepared to recommend the performance, 
either for healthy exercise or amusement. Extend- 
ng from the bottom of this pit there is a shaft in 
%ich the miners descend five hundred feet further 
i^o the bowels of the earth; but having no desire to 
ex Iore regions so far inland, we did not ask to 
entic. After collecting some specimens of rock salt, 
whify lay here in heaps, ascending by a steep flight 
of staffs, we all mounted astride a wooden horse, 
sandw-^hed as before, and by our own momentum 
were carried swiftly down the rail into daylight, 
perfectly content with our first experience of salt 
mines ana inclined planes. 

It was half -past nine in the evening when we 
reached our hotel in Salzburg; and the interest of 
our ride was heightened by signal fires kindled high 
up on the sides or tops of several mountains far 
apart (in commemoration, we understood, of some 



140 SKETCHES OF TKAVEL. 

event,) and other demonstrations — in one place, for 
instance, a beautiful floral arch, under which we 
had the honor of passing, having been erected over 
the highway. 

A ride of five hours by rail on the following day 
took us to Munich, this beautiful capital of Bavaria, 
of which and its many interesting objects it will be 
our pleasure in our own good time to write. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



/IJwjT UNICH, August 31.— Some parts of this city 
may be said to be emphatically on the river. 



"The torrent flow 
Of Isar, rolling rapidly" 

under many of its houses, shops, and manuf acturi g 
establishments, furnishes excellent motive pov- r - 
The principal part of the city, however, lies or the 
northwest side. It is said to be nearly seve -teen 
hundred feet above the level of the sea; anioeing 
not far from the mountains, it should, and doubtless 
does, command a pure and healthy atmosihere in 
all seasons of the year. Our stay here las been 
very pleasant, the more so from being in lome - like 
quarters at a private boarding-house kepi by a very 
competent lady, Fraulein Dahlweiner, who received 
very prominent notice a year or two ago through a 
Book of Travels by Helen Hunt. Although no doubt 
kindly intended by the authoress, the manner in 
which she is made to figure in the book is very dis- 



MUNICH. 141 



tasteful to her, as she did not hesitate to signify to 
us in lending us the book to read. 

The first day after our arrival was Sunday, when 

there was a grand military review by the King, 

Louis II. , of Bavaria. Extending for a mile or more 

from the western boundary of the city is a level 

plain covering many acres, and admirably situated 

for such a display. The troops,— infantry, artillery, 

and cavalry,— with splendid bands, assembled at 

the further side, which was bordered by a hill, lined 

with spectators. The greater crowd of spectators, 

however, was on the south side, near the city, where 

we were content to take our stand, especially as no 

carriage was to be had, and we walked over a mile 

to this point. After maneuvering for some time 

in the distance, the troops came down in grand 

array, with colors flying, now with stirring music 

of drum and fife, next with that of a full brass band, 

of which there were several, and then would come 

the shrill sound of the trooper's horn, conveying 

some order readily comprehended and obeyed. The 

King and his staff, all mounted on splendid steeds, 

and in gorgeous uniforms, took position nearly in 

front of us, thus affording us a satisfactory sight 

as the various regiments passed in review. The 

King is a large, fine-looking man, with a full, round 

face, and light complexion. Near the close, the 

Queen, an elegant - looking lady, in company with 

two or three other ladies in a carriage, made her 

appearance on the field, when they were saluted 

by the King and his staff and loudly cheered by 

the crowd. The King was also vociferously cheered 

by the citizens, who were out in such numbers that 

few could have stayed at home. In the afternoon 

we atoned somewhat for our wickedness of the fore- 



143 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



noon by attending service at the English Episcopal 
church, whose temporary pastor from England was 
a boarder at our house. 

We have visited here two or three of the finest' 
cathedrals we have anywhere seen, in one of which 
is a large crucifix suspended from the center of the 
roof; and in some or all of them are private altars 
set around the sides, very richly ornamented, and 
abounding m choice pictures, statues, statuettes, etc. 
It was an odd sight here to see priests in their robes 
marching in a solemn manner through the streets, 
headed by attendants, also in caps and long gowns' 
bearing a crucifix and lanterns elevated before them! 
There is a great deal of interest to be seen here, and 
we have been quite industrious in going to one or 
more places every day. The Museum must be one 
of the most extensive and interesting in Europe 
Almost every old thing that could be thought of 
may be seen there, including all kinds of ancient 
armor, furniture, jewelry, coins, and statuary. The 
Glyptothek (Sculpture Building) is a fine edifice 
plain outside, but highly finished and beautiful with- 
in. It has a number of galleries, and is filled with 
sculpture -some of the statues and busts being re- 
markably fine. The old Pinakothek is the gallery 
of old paintings, which rank no doubt with those of 
the best galleries in other cities. We have been 
many times to this gallery, and could spend weeks 
m it agreeably in looking at the pictures, numbering, 
it is said, nearly thirteen hundred. A great many 
of the paintings are by Rubens, while there are some 
by Munllo, Diirer, Van Dyck, Gruido, Carlo Dolce 
Correggio, and many other artists of the old school' 
Munllo's four celebrated pictures of Italian beggar 
children are here, and we have obtained photographs 



MUNICH. 143 



of them. One room contains several thousand orig- 
inal designs by Michael Angelo, Rubens, Correggio, 
Diirer, Rembrandt, and others of the old masters. 
The new Pinakothek, like the old, is a magnificent 
structure, and contains fifty- two rooms filled with 
modern paintings and other works of art. The por- 
trait of Lola Montez, which formerly hung in the 
Gallery of Beauties in the Royal Palace, is now in a 
room here devoted mainly to paintings on porcelain, 
which are remarkable for their beauty. We may 
remark in passing that we have seen the neat frame 
house which Lola Montez occupied when she was on 
such familiar terms with the late King. Happy as 
we are to gaze upon the celebrated works of the old 
masters, we are free to say that we enjoy the modern 
paintings we see here quite as well if not better. 
Whether on canvas, glass, or porcelain, it would 
seem impossible to excel these modern pictures. We 
have seen nowhere anything more perfect or more 
exquisitely beautiful. Most especially do we admire 
many of the landscape paintings and descriptions of 
rural life. Here was one of a little girl, which we 
imagined might be a picture of a dearly beloved one 
away across the water. She is represented as sitting 
down in the grass of a meadow, with straw hat on 
and red umbrella over her head, plucking butter- 
cups and daisies. Her face was beautiful, and she 
appeared happy as a lark. The pictures of the Swiss 
and Tyrolese scenery, embracing lake, mountain, 
hill, and valley, are superb. In one room, peculiarly 
constructed as regards the light, there are twelve or 
fifteen very large paintings, reaching from the ceil- 
ing nearly to the floor, and filling the room — all 
descriptive of Eastern cities and country landscape. 
Their mellow, yellowish light casts over one a feel- 



144 SKETCHES OF TKAVEL. 

ing of listless drowsiness; and thus surrounded, it 
would not be strange were we for the moment to 
believe ourselves actual travelers in those distant 
lands. 

We went one day to the Art Exhibition Gallery, 
where there is a large collection of paintings for sale 
— all modern, and mostly, it is presumed, by Ger- 
man artists. The one we should prefer — the price 
of it being about $400 — represents Beethoven at a 
piano, with four of his friends listening enraptured 
by his music. It is a perfect gem. 

The Koyal Palace, too, is filled with pictures, in 
one room of which we saw fourteen large historical 
paintings arranged after the manner of those in the 
rotunda of our Capitol. There are. two rooms, called 
Halls of the Beauties, devoted exclusively to por- 
traits of beautiful women. In company with us on 
our visit to this Palace were the English pastor 
already mentioned and another English gentleman 
who Jiad spent thirty years as a teacher of English 
in Munich. The pastor facetiously called him our 
"guide, professor, and friend/' and he was entitled 
to be so considered, for he was very efficient as a 
guide; as a professor, he had taught several of the 
royal ladies, whose portraits were before us; and 
he was very friendly in his bearing toward us all. 
He gave us the names of many of these beauties, 
some of whom are still living, and all, we believe, 
are of modern times. The floors of some of the 
rooms are of polished marble. In one is an ancient 
ivory chandelier, made by one of the Electors of 
Maximilian I.; in another, costly tapestry, filling 
five large panels, besides a piece composing a mag- 
nificent bedspread to the bed here occupied by Napo- 
leon in 1809. In the gold embroidery, which cost 



MUNICH. 145 



eight hundred thousand florins, forty persons were 
constantly employed fifteen years. In the Throne 
Room are twelve large gilt bronze statues, costing 
five hundred ducats each. (A ducat is about two 
dollars and twenty- eight cents, and a florin forty 
cents.) In the Antiquarium is a large collection of 
Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and German antiquities, 
all more or less interesting. The Treasury Room is 
loaded with precious jewels, valuable stones, and 
other costly articles. The Chapel is highly adorned 
and contains many valuable articles appropriate to 
the place. We might speak of the many celebrated 
paintings seen here, but our recollection of them is 
too imperfect to admit of our doing justice to them. 
In the Court is a curious grotto of shells, with busts 
of females, made or covered with small shells, pre- 
senting the appearance, at a little distance, of per- 
sons recovered from small pox. Under the arch of 
the entrance -way is a stone weighing three hundred 
and sixty- four pounds, and in the wall three spikes — 
one at the height of twelve feet, one at nine and a 
half, and the third a little lower. Duke Christopher, 
son of Albert III. , is said to have hurled this stone to 
a great distance; and, showing his agility in leaping, 
the upper spike marks the point where his heel 
struck in leaping from the ground. The heel of 
Prince Conrad touched at the place of the second, 
and Prince Philippe's at the third nail. 

We have been shown through the Royal Foundry, 
where we saw models of the statues of Washington, 
Jefferson, Marshall, Clay, Benton, Everett, Lincoln, 
and other Americans, and also of the bronze doors 
leading from the rotunda of our Capitol. We like- 
wise saw portions of the bronze statue of Seward 
now being cast for the city of New York. 

10 



146 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




RUHMESHALLE. 



MUNICH. 147 



One evening we went with our pastor and profes- 
sor to a lager beer brewery, where one helps himself 
to a mug holding between one and two quarts, and 
gets it filled with beer from the tank. There were 
ladies along, and they were rather averse to partak- 
ing of the delicious beverage in so rustic a manner 
out of the common mug; but truth (so precious to 
some travelers that they are very sparing of it) com- 
pels us to record that the mug, or jug, as it is called 
here, was returned empty. 

We spent a few hours delightfully one evening at 
the theater, where we heard and saw performed 
Wagner's opera of "Tannhauser." The curtain rose 
at six and the play was over by ten o'clock. 

One beautiful afternoon we were driven beyond 
the city a mile or more to see the famous statue of 
Bavaria and Ruhmeshalle (Hall of Fame.) This 
fine hall, situated on high ground, "consists of a 
large Doric portico of Bavarian marble, forming 
three sides of a quadrangle and an open side, in the 
center of which rises Schwanthaler's colossal statue 
of Bavaria, about one hundred feet high, including 
the pedestal. There are forty- eight columns, with 
busts of eminent Bavarians. In the tympana are 
female statues, representing Bavaria, the Palatinate, 
Swabia, and Franconia, and in the frieze are upward 
of ninety metopes adorned with figures of victory 
and with reliefs symbolical of the arts and occupa- 
tions of civilized society." The statue, as it is well 
known, represents a female standing by the side of 
a lion, also of colossal size, in a sitting posture. It 
is ascended by a flight of forty- nine steps in the 
interior. Eight persons at one time may be com- 
fortably seated within this lady's head; and it is said 
that as many as twenty- nine men and two boys 



148 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

were crowded within it, at one and the same time, 
on the day the statue was raised. There are many 
other monuments, not as conspicuous, but equally 
attractive, here, as ornaments of the various public 
squares and principal streets, which are spacious 
and beautiful. There is the Charles Gate and Gate 
of Victory, the latter, especially, a most imposing 
structure, " built after the model of Constantine's 
Triumphal Arch at Rome." It is crowned by a 
colossal statue' of Bavaria in a triumphal chariot, 
harnessed with four lions. Finer still is the Propy- 
laeum, "a triumphal arch in the old Doric style, with 
bas-reliefs, commemorating the modern Greek War 
of Independence and King Otho." The equestrian 
statues of Louis I. and Maximilian II., both of colos- 
sal size, are specially grand. There are also monu- 
ments here to Goethe, Schiller, and other distin- 
guished Germans. Altogether, we are charmed with 
Munich. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

URICH, September 8. — We left our boarding- 
house in Munich at half - past six on the morn- 
ing of the 1st instant. It rained hard when we 
started, but the clouds soon disappeared, and the 
afternoon was very pleasant. At Lindau, where we 
changed from the cars to the steamboat on Lake 
Constance, there is a fine harbor formed by substan- 
tial circular walls, quite ornamental, leaving an 
opening only sufficient for the passage of vessels. 
Upon the abutment of the wall at one side of this 



ZURICH. 149 



opening stands a light -house, and on the other, 
sitting on a high pedestal, is a colossal lion, looking 
seaward. The effect is both striking and beautiful. 
Near the steamboat landing there is a monument 
to Maximilian II. The lake is thirty- five miles long 
and eight miles wide. The Rhine passes through it, 
as the channel of the Rhone goes the whole length 
of Lake Leman. The shores are lined with small 
villages and country villas, presenting a charming 
picture. Our sail on the lake to Romanshorn was 
delightful. Here we took the cars for Zurich, arriv- 
ing at half -past four, after a most agreeable pas- 
sage. Remembering that this was the day of a gold- 
en wedding of some of our relatives in the old Pine 
Tree State, we celebrated it in a suitable manner 
in our snug compartment on the train, after leaving 
Romanshorn. Our kind landlady in Munich, Frau- 
lein Dahlweiner, had provided us with a nice lunch, 
consisting of ham sandwiches, cold chicken, bread, 
pears, peaches, and grapes, and availing ourselves 
of a short stop at a small station, we got our lager 
glass filled with vin ordinaire, so that we were ena,- 
bled to do full honors to the occasion — drinking the 
health of the happy couple, "and all their family." 

Between Munich and Lindau the scenery is not 
remarkable; but from Romanshorn to Zurich it is 
picturesque and beautiful. The land along the road 
is all highly cultivated, and men and women were 
busily engaged gathering the crops and preparing 
the ground for winter grain. On our arrival at 
Zurich we were driven to the Hotel Bauer au Lac; 
but not having telegraphed, the best accommoda- 
tions that could be offered us were two single bed- 
rooms on the fifth floor, in the attic, which we 
accepted for the night, with the promise of a good 



150 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

room next day. This settled, we hastened to the 
consul's office for our letters, which we were most 
happy to receive from home, and then, seating our- 
selves on the margin of the lake in front of our 
hotel, we devoured them with a keen appetite, at 
the same time enjoying the beauties of the lake. 
On the following morning we called again at the 
office of our consul, S. H. M. Byers, Esquire, from 
Iowa, and were soon acquainted with each other. 
He had left his office when we called last evening. 
On his invitation we went, by steamboat, with him 
to his villa, five miles up the lake, and took dinner 
with the family, consisting of himself, wife, and two 
children, both born in Switzerland. They had as 
guests, also, Mr. Young, United States consul at 
Manheim, and his wife by a second marriage, an 
interesting German lady. The place rented by Mr. 
Byers was formerly occupied as a monastery, and 
goes under the name of " Wangensback." It forms 
part of a vineyard eight hundred years old. The 
sides of the house are covered with grape-vines 
loaded with grapes, which are protected from the 
birds by gauze network. In the surrounding fields 
the vines are not trained over trellisses, but on 
poles, six or eight feet long, driven into the ground; 
and from a little distance the vineyards look like 
New England corn-fields. There are few or no 
fences to guard them; but the law provides a severe 
penalty for the theft of even a single bunch of grapes. 
The residence chosen by Mr. Byers and his accom- 
plished wife is just such a one as a poet would 
naturally choose; and he devotes all his leisure time 
to literary pursuits. He has held his office about 
six years, during which he has taken much pains 
to collect information about Switzerland, and has 



ZURICH. 151 



embodied it in a small volume just published. He 
first became known, we believe, as a writer by his 
song of "Sherman's March to the Sea," which the 
General has inserted in the second volume of his 
"Memoirs." It was written while a prisoner in 
Columbia, South Carolina, where, and in Libby Pris- 
on, he was confined some sixteen months. It shows 
how trifling a circumstance, comparatively, some- 
times changes the current of a man's life. His song 
having been brought, incidentally, to General Sher- 
man's notice, he at once sent for and attached him 
to his staff, he having then just escaped from the 
Columbia prison, where "there was an excellent 
glee club among the prisoners, who used to sing 
it well, with an audience often of rebel ladies." It 
consists of five stanzas and a chorus, commencing: 

Our camp-fires shone bright on the mountain 

That frowned on the river below, 
As we stood by our guns in the morning, 

And eagerly watched for the foe; 
When a rider came out of the darkness 

That hung over mountain and tree, 
And shouted, " Boys, up and be ready! 

For Sherman will march to the sea!" 

The war over, he was in a favorable position for 
preferment, with influential friends to present his 
claims, and very soon he received the important 
appointment he now holds. Well, after dinner, at 
a seasonable hour, he returned to town with us and 
kindly assisted in our being established at the Pen- 
sion Neptun, a delightful boarding house on the 
margin of the city and lake. Here we had little 
to do except to rest. Zurich is eligibly situated at 
the foot of the lake, extending for some distance 
along either side both of the lake and of the river 



152 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Limmet, its northern outlet. Many of the streets 
are wide; in the elevated parts there are fine prom- 
enades, presenting charming views of the lake and 
snow- clad mountains beyond, and there are nume- 
rous elegant residences, as well as large manufac- 
tories, public buildings, and churches. The Univer- 
sity and Polytechnic Buildings are very prominent, 
as are also the Town Library and the great Cathe- 
dral. It was in this Cathedral, built in the eleventh 
or twelfth century, that Zuinglius began the Ref- 
ormation. It is very plain and nearly destitute of 
ornaments in the interior. The Church of St. Peter, 
where Lavater used to hold forth, is a very com- 
mon looking structure. This learned philosopher 
and divine, it may be remembered, died from a 
shot fired by a French soldier in the battle of Zurich, 
1779. 

In the old Arsenal many interesting relics are 
exhibited, among them what purport to be the bat- 
tle-axe, sword, casque, and coat-of-mail of Zuinglius, 
and William Tell's bow which he used in shooting 
the apple from his son's head. The greatest curi- 
osities we saw here are in the Museum, being relics 
of the inhabitants who lived away back in the age 
of barbarism, and, as a means of protection against 
their enemies, built their dwellings on piles in the 
lake. These relics have from time to time been 
found in the lake, and have been carefully pre- 
served. Among them are rude earthen cooking 
utensils, hammers, arrows, and hatchets of stone, 
awkward looking fish-hooks, finger rings, and other 
articles. 

The street sights are odd. Here are dogs harnessed 
into carts, pulling like good fellows, with their mas- 
ters or mistresses, who assist in drawing heavy loads; 



RAGATZ. 153 



women carrying upon their heads large tubs filled 
with wine and beer bottles. The dress of the com- 
mon people is different from any we have seen else- 
where — every Canton in Switzerland has its peculiar 
costume, differing one from the other; and here is a 
truck so long that it requires a man with a rudder in 
the rear end to guide it through the streets. An- 
other noticeable thing is the absence of soldiers, 
with the sight of whom we had become so familiar, 
particularly in Germany and Austria. 

We have spent a part of two days in a trip to 
Ragatz, three hours by rail from Zurich, where we 
were most happy to meet an esteemed acquaintance 
and friend, Rudolph Schleiden, LL. D., formerly for 
many years the minister from Bremen to the United 
States. Indeed, we went there purposely to see him, 
as, in response to a dispatch from us, he telegraphed: 
"I am here, and most happy to learn that I may 
expect you." He stood ready at the door of the 
Quellenhoff to receive us, as we alighted from our 
carriage. Of course, we talked over old affairs, 
particularly in reference to the Bremen Postal Con- 
vention of 1853, with which he and the writer had 
much to do. Both were advocates of low postage, 
and immediately agreed on a project, which was 
confirmed by the proper authorities, reducing the 
letter rate between the United States and Bremen 
from twenty to ten cents — twenty cents being then 
the lowest rate from the United States to any part 
of Europe, and this applied only to the city of Bre- 
men. The next lowest rates were twenty- four cents 
to Great Britain and thirty cents to Germany. Now 
five cents takes a letter to any part of Europe. For 
several years after his departure from the United 
States, Dr. Schleiden served as a member of the 



154 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Prussian Parliament. His residence is at Freibourg, 
Baden. 

Dinner over, Dr. Schleiden called a carriage and 
we rode two miles or more into the gorge of Tamina, 
an opening in the mountain where the walls, two 
hundred and fifty feet in height, come so near to- 
gether at the top that in some places one may step 
across from one side to the other. For much of the 
way there is space only for the carriage road at the 
side and above the rapid stream which is one of the 
principal tributaries of the Rhine. At the end of the 
carriage-way is an old monastery, now used for a 
hospital and bathing house. From here we walked 
about three hundred yards further up the gorge to a 
hot spring, which we reached by turning into a dark 
tunnel, dug through the solid rock, at right angles 
from the stream, a distance of five or six rods. We 
drank of the water, which is as hot as one usually 
likes to take his tea. We did not detect any taste of 
sulphur or other mineral; therefore, we conclude 
that if the water is heated from the regions of his 
Satanic majesty, some means have been devised to 
avoid the smell of brimstone. This water is carried 
in wooden pipes, securely encased in masonry, to 
one or more of the hotels in the village, where it is 
used for bathing — hundreds of invalids resorting 
thither every year to try its healing qualities. It 
reaches the baths, two or three miles distant, with 
only two degrees less of heat than it possesses when 
it comes out of the mountain. 

The scenery around Ragatz and for much of the 
way between there and Zurich is grand beyond des- 
cription. The road takes us along the full length 
of the narrow Lake of Wallenstadt twelve miles, 
and between high rugged mountains. The valley 



LUCERNE. 155 



through which we passed is loaded with its grain, 
corn, and fruits of various kinds; and the people 
appeared to be in the enjoyment of almost perfect 
happiness, so far removed are they from the busy, 
bustling world. 



4 



CHAPTER XXV. 

g)UCERN"E, September 13. — We were so pleas- 
antly situated in Zurich that we would gladly 
have tarried there longer; but we must get over 
the mountains to Chamouni before cold weather, 
and there is little time to spare. A ride of one 
hour and a half by railroad brought us to Lucerne, 
where we find ourselves at another excellent board- 
ing house, located, with reference to the lake, sim- 
ilarly to our house in Zurich. We passed through 
Zug and one or two other villages, and the scenery 
all the way is very beautiful. Lucerne is situated 
at the northeastern end of the lake of that name, 
and is separated by the river Reuss, which is spanned 
by three bridges, two of which are curiosities in their 
way. They are covered, and on the ceiling of one of 
them "are numerous pictures representing episodes 
in the lives of St. Leger and St. Maurice, patron 
saints of the city." The other "is ornamented with 
thirty- six pictures representing the Dance of Death." 
By the side of the latter, in the middle of the river, 
there is an ancient and picturesque tower, in which 
the archives of the city are kept. The old wall of 
the city on the land side, surmounted by numerous 
watch-towers, still stands, extending around from 



156 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

shore to shore, and from this wall, which is mostly 
on high ground, a charming view of the city, lake, 
and mountains is obtained. On the left is Mount 
Righi and on the right Mount Pilatus. There is a 
railroad from Vitznau on the lake to the top of the 
Righi; but we felt safe in the village and concluded 
not to go there. While weighing the matter a poor 
German girl fell from a point near the summit and 
was killed. No one saw her fall, but it was supposed 
that she lost her balance in reaching for flowers. 
This circumstance may have turned the scale against 
our going, but we knew we must climb high mount- 
ains before reaching the valley of Chamouni, and 
from these we hope to get extended views, equal, at 
least, to any from the Righi. 

The principal object of attraction here is "Thor- 
waldsen's Lion," of colossal size, cut in high relief 
out of the side of a sandstone ledge. He was a 
native of Denmark, and at that time (1821) engaged 
in his profession at Rome, whence he sent the model, 
and the work was executed by Ahorn, of Constance. 
The figure of the Lion is twenty- eight feet long and 
eighteen feet high. He " holds the fleur-de-lis in 
his paws, which he endeavors to protect with his 
last breath, his life-blood oozing from a wound made 
by a spear which still remains in his side." This 
monument, as appears by a Latin inscription under 
the figure, is dedicated to the officers (twenty- six) 
and soldiers (seven hundred and sixty) of the Swiss 
Guards who died in Paris in 1792 defending the 
royal cause. It is in every respect unique. It has 
for its foundation and support the solid ledge, which 
rises thirty feet, more or less, perpendicularly, over- 
hung with evergreen vines, and at the base is a pool 
of spring water within a railing. Near by is what 



LUCERNE. 157 



they call the Glacier Gardens, where immense basins 
have been worn in the ledge by the action of heavy 
bowlders moved by the falling waters. 

The most attractive shops here are those of wood 
and ivory carvings, which, as everybody knows, are 
very wonderful. They show great ingenuity and 
industry. 

An excursion by steamboat to Fluelen, the south- 
ern end of the lake, and back occupied one day full 
of enjoyment. Lucerne, regarded as the most beau- 
ful in Switzerland, is also called the Lake of tho 
Four Cantons; and it extends around between the 
mountains for many miles, presenting, with its arms 
— to Kussnacht northerly and southerly to Alp- 
nacht — somewhat the shape of a cross. The boat 
stops at many landings, and the traveler may, if he 
choose, rest at any one of them and take a subse- 
quent boat on his return ticket. We landed first at 
Fluelen, the end of the route, whence carriages run 
to Altorf, two miles, where there is a rough statue 
of William Tell, said to be on the spot where he 
stood when he shot the apple from his son's head, 
and the exact distance his son stood from him is 
there marked down. On the eastern shore of the 
lake, near Fluelen, is a small shrine, built in 1388, 
called TelFs Chapel. It stands at the point where 
he sprang ashore from a boat, in which he was 
being conveyed as a prisoner, and made his escape. 
It is called "The Mecca of Switzerland," as on every 
'Sunday after Easter "a procession of boats, richly 
decorated, proceeds slowly to this chapel, where, 
after mass is celebrated, a patriotic sermon is 
preached to the worshiping pilgrims." A few miles 
further north, near the opposite bank, is a high 
perpendicular rock, bearing in gilded letters an in- 



158 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

scription in commemoration of Frederick Schiller as 
the poet of William Tell. This rock rises abruptly 
out of the water in shape of a huge trunk of a tree, 
its sides being perpendicular for many f eet, tapering 
to the form of a sugar loaf. From a distance it has 
the look of a giant sentinel. Not far from this is a 
sloping ledge, covered with verdure and chestnut 
trees, which our guide-book speaks of as the "Rutli 
of Schiller/' and as the point where, according to 
tradition, Walter Furst, Werner Stauffacher, and 
Arnold de Melchthal, on the night of the 7th of No- 
vember, 1307, accompanied by thirty men from the 
three cantons of Uri, Schwytz, and Unterwald, met 
for the purpose of taking a solemn oath at the break 
of day to deliver their country from the tyranny of 
their Austrian oppressors. 

We landed at Brunnen, a small village on the 
east side of the lake, and walking a mile or more 
along the Axenstein turnpike, we sought a shady 
nook in the forest, where we ate with a keen relish 
a nice lunch, with an abundance of sweet grapes 
for dessert, which our landlady had kindly provided 
for us. This magnificent turnpike has been built, 
at immense expense, many miles along the rocky 
margin of the lake, in some places the mountain 
being tunneled for it, and at others excavated from 
the lake side, a rough pillar being left here and 
there to support the overhanging mass. A sea wall, 
with handsome granite coping, runs along the outer 
side. The architecture is that of Nature and Art 
combined, and the effect, especially from the lake, 
is grand indeed. Leaning upon the skirting wall 
of this smooth highway, we feast our eyes, too, 
on scenery most superbly grand and beautiful, as 
we survey the lake, dotted with charming villas 



LUCERNE. 159 



upon its sloping banks, and "Alps on Alps" in the 
back ground as far as the eye can reach. In our 
rear, on the Axenstein Mountain, not easy of access, 
is a large hotel, which can be seen from the lake. 
We thought of walking to it, but there was insuf- 
ficient time before the last steamer for Lucerne, and 
we, therefore, contented ourselves with resting in 
the woods and loitering along the turnpike till the 
boat arrived to take us back. While thus resting, 
we , heard strange sounds in the mountains, which 
we imagined might be either from snow avalanches 
or an earthquake. There was something terrible, 
first in the deep, smothered report, and then in the 
distant, louder reverberations from mountain to 
mountain. The mystery, however, was soon solved 
by a Swiss gentleman whom we met on our way 
to the village. He said the sound was caused by 
blasting in some mountain which was being tun- 
neled for a railroad. We proceeded to the steamboat 
landing, and were speedily conveyed to within a 
short walk of our temporary home at Pension Kauf- 
mann. The next day was Sunday, and in the fore- 
noon we went into an old church where there were 
Roman Catholic services, and heard the music. 
Many poor people, kneeling before plaster images 
of the Virgin and of the crucifix, were engaged 
in their devotions, and we looked on and listened 
in silence. If we could not believe in their religion, 
we could but respect their apparent sincerity. 

Attached to our boarding house is a garden, in 
which we sat one day in the shade and read aloud 
Byron's "Prisoner of Chillon " in anticipation of soon 
seeing the famous Castle of Chillon on Lake Leman. 
Our room overlooks the lake, and there being now a 
good moon, we enjoy a fine view of both night and 



160 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

day. In the evening we have counted nearly a 
dozen row boats gliding to and fro upon the lake, 
their happy occupants giving utterance to their buoy- 
ant spirits in lively conversation, laughter, and song. 
Comfortable seats are provided along the street by 
the lake — a favorite resort for all. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

'HUN, September 20. —At ten o'clock on the 
morning of the 14th instant, in company with 
Mr. Thomas Evans, a prominent business man, and 
his daughter, from Washington, we started in a 
steamboat from Lucerne and proceeded to Alpnach, 
where we took four inside seats, previously engaged, 
in the main body of a diligence for Brienz, over the 
Brunig Pass. The diligence, drawn by four horses, 
is constructed for carrying at least nine passengers, 
including one on the driver's seat. The coupe ac- 
commodates two, and there is a high seat behind 
which also holds two. On this trip there were two 
diligences filled with travelers, besides a private 
carriage carrying two; so we went by twos all round. 
The road was very dusty, and, as one of our ladies 
remarked, when we alighted for a three franc dinner 
ready for us at Sarnen, we looked like millers. This 
fine dust somewhat marred the pleasure of the trip; 
but as our stage was generally ahead, our party 
suffered less in this regard than those behind. On 
the whole, it was an exciting ride — sometimes on 
the borders of lakes; sometimes on roads like that 
of Axenstein, cut through and in the sides of mount- 



GIESBACH FALLS. 161 



ains; then again we were on the summit of a mount- 
ain looking away down into flourishing, inhabited 
valleys, every available spot of which was under 
cultivation. So high were we that the rivers run- 
ning through the valleys and cascades on the oppo- 
site mountain sides looked like silver threads in the 
sunlight. Now and then we passed a rustic dwell- 
ing, its projecting gable end to the south, snuggled 
in against a side hill or ledge to protect it from the 
cold blasts of winter. A considerable part of the 
way is through forests of spruce, pine, and hard 
wood, cords of which lie piled here and there by the 
roadside, and looking as though it had experienced 
rough usage, as it no doubt had, in being pitched 
down the steep mountains, scraping the bark off and 
bruising its cut ends like a beetle. It was near sun- 
down when we reached Brienz, a village of some 
two thousand inhabitants, at the head of the lake by 
that name, and here we went immediately upon a 
small steamboat, which, in fifteen or twenty min- 
utes, took us across to Giesbach, where we stopped 
over night to see the Giesbach Falls illuminated. 
Here is a succession of cataracts formed by a large 
body of water, tumbling and frolicking over rocky 
beds down a mountain several thousand feet high 
into the lake. Leaving our baggage, except what 
we carried in a shawl - strap, at the steamboat land- 
ing, we made our zig-zag way on foot up the side of 
the mountain one thousand feet to a magnificent 
hotel, situated on a plateau just large enough to 
afford suitable room for it, with its ''dependence," 
until recently the main hotel there, and an adjacent 
garden. From the new hotel to the kt dependence" 
there is a covered way. From the balcony of the 
hotel the falls, which have been bridged at several 



162 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

points for beauty of effect, are in plain sight; but 
the stream much of the way is concealed by the 
woods. Between eight and nine o'clock lantern- 
lights are seen moving through the forest up the 
mountain and stopping near the different cataracts. 
Men have been sent with their chemical preparations 
for Bengal, or some other kind of lights, and ex- 
pectation is now on tip-toe for the signal of illumi- 
nation. We have not long to wait. A rocket is 
let off, and instantly a bright light appears, first 
at the upper falls, then at the next, and so on until 
all are in a blaze of various brilliant colors. The 
rustic bridges looked like amber, then like iron at 
white heat, and then like molten gold, as the colors 
were changed. The illumination lasted four or five 
minutes only; but it is a charming sight no traveler 
should miss. The charge to meet the expense is one 
franc to each guest. 

At half past eleven next morning we returned 
to the landing and awaited the arrival of the steam- 
boat for Interlachen, meantime being entertained 
by four wandering women singers, whose music was 
quite unique. Whether native or Tyrolese we could 
not tell; but their singing was both odd and funny. 
In about an hour and a half later we were in Inter- 
lachen, comfortably lodged at Pension Reber, recom- 
mended to us by our landlady at Lucerne. Our 
room, with a balcony, looks out upon the Jungfrau, 
covered by snow all seasons of the year, and on 
either side, in full view, are other mountains of 
immense height nearer the village. Interlachen is 
situated between the Lakes of Thun and Brienz, 
some seventeen hundred feet above the level of the 
sea. It is surrounded by high mountains, and while 
there is little of interest here in the way of art, 



INTEKLACHEN. 163 



it is blessed with all the charms of nature. The 
walks in the vicinity are delightful; there is one 
handsome promenade in the village shaded by wal- 
nut trees, and the grounds around the Kursaal, 
where there is music by a band three times a day, 
are very pleasant. Invalids go to the Kursaal, or 
to an institution connected therewith, for goat's 
whey, prepared under medical supervision; there 
is here also a grape, cure establishment. Goat's 
whey is dispensed at half past six every morning 
during the summer at five francs a week for each 
person. To meet the expenses of the Kursaal, all 
visitors to Interlachen are charged in their board 
bill a fee of half a franc for one day, one franc 
for two or three days, and two francs a week, no 
matter whether they visit the Kursaal or not. How- 
ever, nearly everybody goes there to hear the music, 
and nobody, we imagine, objects to contributing his 
mite toward the general entertainment. 

Sight-seeing is comparatively easy in Switzerland, 
provided one does not care to climb too many mount- 
ains. It does not fatigue like cathedrals, museums, 
and galleries of paintings. The grand scenery of 
nature and the pure air we breathe here seem to 
satisfy. The villages are quiet, the living generally 
excellent — what delicious bread, butter, and honey 
are served! — and everything invites to peaceful rest. 
One, too, must be insensible indeed not to have 
his devotional feelings excited in a high degree 
as he beholds here the wonderful works of the 
Creator: 

" Mark the sable woods 
That shade sublime yon mountain's nodding brow; 
With what religious awe the solemn scene 
Commands your steps! As if the reverend form 



164 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Of Minos and of Numa should forsake 

The Elysian seats, and down the embowering glade 

Move to your pausing eye." 

We left Interlachen in the forenoon of the 18th, 
and arrived at Thun in about two and a half hours, 
stopping at Pension Itten. We made the passage 
by railroad a short distance only to ISTeuhaus, thence 
the rest of the way by steamboat on Lake Thun. 
On the railroad they have open cars of two stories — 
the better to take in the surrounding scenery. From 
the lake the scenery is especially fine. The Jung- 
frau, Matterhorn, Monch, and other high mountains, 
whose names we did not learn, loom up in the dis- 
tance, some covered with snow, while others are 
dark and frowning; and the banks of the lake smile 
with their beautiful villas and gardens. The village 
of Thun, containing about four thousand inhabit- 
ants, has, for the most part, a very ancient look, 
and we see here many odd -looking people, not a 
few of whom are stunted and suffering from that 
frightful malady, the goiter. Their dress is more or 
less singular. Here is a peasant woman returning 
in front of us from church on Sunday. She has on 
a short black petticoat, tight black velvet jacket, 
white muslin sleeves, starched stiffly, reaching to 
the elbow, long black mits, extending also to the 
elbow, with a silver necklace, attached to which are 
silver chains falling to and fastened at the waist in 
front. The river Aar runs through the town, along 
one side of which still stands a high wall built centu- 
ries ago; and there is on the hill overlooking the 
main village, and reached by long flights of stairs, 
an old cathedral, which looks as though it might 
have been built in the days of Moses the Prophet. 
Near by is the old Castle of Keyburg. We saw 



BERNE. 165 



scarcely a decent looking store in the place. On 
the main street, which is narrow and dirty, there 
are rows of shops, one above the other, with side 
walks, as in the old town of Chester, England. 
Here and there are steps to go from one story to 
the other. In some parts there are two and in 
others three tiers of these little shops. The finest 
dwelling houses are outside of the village, as is also 
the principal hotel, the Bellevue. Moiis. Rougemont, 
a wealthy gentleman of Paris, has a magnificent 
palace — a modern castle — on the margin of the 
lake, with .extensive grounds beautifully laid out 
and kept in perfect order. Before leaving home 
Consul General Hitz advised us by all means to 
stop at least one day in Thun, and knowing now, 
after two days' sojourn here, what a delightful place 
it is for rest and recuperation, we are sure we should 
have been very much out of tune had we neglected 
to follow his kind advice. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



^ REIBURG, September 21.— We left Thun at 
S^fL noon yesterday, and reached Berne, the cap- 
ital of Switzerland, in about one hour by rail. The 
river Aar almost encircles the city, which is mainly 
situated on high ground. On the south side there is 
a platform or terrace, handsomely laid out in walks, 
provided with seats and planted with shade trees. 
From here we have a magnificent view of the Ber- 
nese Oberland — a long range of snow mountains — 
and the intervening landscape. On the side of this 



166 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

platform toward the river there is a wall one hun- 
dred and eight feet high, between which and the 
river is what is called the Old Town. It makes one 
dizzy to look down upon the roofs of the houses 
flanking the river. "Near this giddy verge a mar- 
ble slab records the following extraordinary escape: 
In 1654, Theobald Weinzapfli, a student of the place, 
unable to manage a restive horse which he rode; or 
having, according to the proverb, 'a spur in the 
head as well as in the heel,' was precipitated into 
the Lower Town. Strange to say, he escaped with 
only a broken arm and leg, and survived the acci- 
dent thirty years as a preacher." To the horse, of 
course, the leap was fatal. 

In the evening we attended an organ concert in 
the Cathedral, the most prominent structure in the 
city, and noted specially for some remarkable sculp- 
ture at the outside of the main entrance, represent- 
ing "The Last Judgment." The interior of the 
church, which dates back to the sixteenth century, 
has few ornaments. There are monuments to Zah- 
ringen, the founder, and to Steinger, the chief mag- 
istrate, and the organ is regarded as among the 
best. We listened to the performance upon the 
organ in a dim lamplight. We have heard as good, 
if not better, organ playing in Washington. In 
front of the Cathedral stands a bronze equestrian 
statue of Rod d' Erlach. The horse has his left fore- 
leg raised as if about to start into a gallop, while his 
rider holds a flag staff, with the flag furled, in his 
right hand, the foot of the staff resting on the stirrup. 
The base of the statue is of white marble surrounded 
by an iron railing, at the corners of which are four 
bronze bears in. a sitting posture. The bear is a 
prominent figure in Berne wherever you go, being 



BERNE. 167 



conspicuous in the armorial bearings or coats - of - 
arms of the Canton. At the entrance of the Morat 
Gate are two huge bears in stone, and in a den — or 
rather two dens, or pits, with a division wall be- 
tween them — near the river several live bears are 
constantly kept at the public expense. In the center 
of one of these dens is erected the stem of a tree 
with its branches, on which, from time to time, they 
dispel dull care in frolicsome exercise. We went to 
see them. Their dens are encased with granite 
blocks, and are sunk from ten to fifteen feet below 
the street, so that spectators may have a good view 
of them over the wall, raised three or four feet high 
on the street side. They appeared very friendly, 
and did not wait for an introduction before begging 
us for bread and fruit, which is the only food the 
public is allowed to give them. They would sit up- 
right, stand on their hind legs, reaching as far to- 
ward us as possible, and make various other signs 
indicating their wishes as plainly as though they 
had spoken the words. . In the year 1861, an English 
captain, on a spree, undertook to walk around on 
the broad wall of their inclosure, and fell into it. A 
waiter at our hotel told us that a rope was lowered 
to him, which he seized and held until he was raised 
part of the way up before the noise attracted the 
attention of the bears in their adjoining lodge; but 
from some cause he fell again to the bottom, and 
was instantly torn in pieces by them. A fellow- 
traveler, from Connecticut, gave us an amusing ac- 
count of his experience in getting to see these wild 
beasts. He had but an hour before he must take the 
train, and he started on foot for the bear dens, trust- 
ing to his Yankee shrewdness to find the way, al- 
though he could not speak a word either of German 



168 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

or French. Meeting a citizen he accosted him with 
the inquiry, "Where are the bears?" The citizen 
shook his head; he was as ignorant of English as 
the stranger was of the French language. Still, the 
latter could not comprehend why so simple an in- 
quiry could not be answered, and he reiterated in a 
louder and more impressive tone, "Where are the 
bears — the bears?" The citizen looked alarmed. 
"Was the stranger crazy?" he thought. By this 
time our friend took in the situation, and bethought 
himself to try another language; so he set to growl- 
ing as near like a bear as he could. The citizen, 
instantly relieved, . exclaimed in French, "Oh! oui y 
oui! les ours, les ours!" (Yes, yes! the bears, the 
bears!) and at once conducted him to the desired 
locality. 

In reference to the superstitious estimation in 
which bears are held by the people of Berne, Dr. 
Beattie remarks: "At what period, or from what 
circumstance, they were first emblazoned on the 
patriotic standard, is a question that has been vari- 
ously interpreted. Some trace its origin to Rene, 
Duke of Lorraine; others think that it arose from 
the circumstance of a certain Glado May bringing 
home with him from the battle of No vara, in 1510, 
two young bears as a trophy of victory." 

There is a fine Museum here containing specimens 
in Zoology, Ornithology, Mineralogy, etc. An in- 
teresting object is the stuffed skin of the noted dog 
Barry, which had been the means of saving the lives 
of several travelers on the St. Bernard Pass. He 
looks as natural as life. * At one of the fountains in 
the city, called the Ogre's Fountain, is "a grotesque 
figure, said to resemble Saturn, devouring children, 
while in his pockets and girdle others are sticking 



BERNE. 169 



out for future consumption." The old clock tower 
is another object of curiosity. When the clock is 
about to strike the hour, a figure of a rooster, 
perched high up on the side of the tower, flaps his 
wings and crows. Then the figure of an old man 
moves its head and yawns; and next a company of 
bears, standing on their hind legs in military array, 
march around in front of the tower. At every hour 
of striking in the day time we imagine these maneu- 
vers are observed by a greater or less number of 
interested spectators. 

The Federal Palace, or Capitol of Switzerland, is a 
fine stone structure, corresponding in style and ar- 
chitecture with the republican character of the gov- 
ernment. Everything about it looks substantial, 
and what there is of art here in the way of orna- 
ment is choice and refined, embracing an interesting 
collection of paintings, engravings and statuary. 

A large proportion of the shops here are entered 
from low arcades, extending for whole blocks, ren- 
dering them dark and, we should think, rather disa- 
greeable, although at the outer edge of the arcades 
goods are also displayed for sale, and in pleasant 
weather various kinds of light work, such as shoe- 
making, sewing, etc., are carried on there. Through 
the middle of the principal streets there is a narrow 
canal, filled with a rapid current of water, which 
serves to carry off the sweepings of the street into 
the river. 

A singular sight was that of a dozen convicts, 
more or less, of both sexes, in their prison costumes, 
harnessed to horse -carts loaded with farming tools, 
which they were dragging through the streets as if 
returning from work in the fields to their prison 
quarters for the night. Another odd thing we have 



170 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

seen nowhere else was a huge tread -wheel, fifteen 
or twenty feet in diameter, which from four to six 
men, their hands on the shoulders of one another, 
were revolving" by walking on the inner side of the 
rim, by which power heavy blocks of stone were 
being raised in the erection of a building. The won- 
der is that convicts were not put to this work, for it 
is evidently "hard labor." 

The women appear to do most of the marketing, 
and it is a novel sight to see them come in with their 
merchandise, fruit, vegetables, and what not — some 
with horse and cart, some with dogs to help them 
draw their loads, and others carrying their burden 
upon their heads. It is surprising to see how much 
these dogs will draw, and how well they seem to 
understand their business. 

Freiburg, one hour and a half by rail from Berne, 
was our next stopping place, on the 21st of Septem- 
ber. On our arrival at noon, in company with Mr. 
Thomas Evans and daughter, previously mentioned, 
from Washington, we took an open carriage and 
were driven around town and out over one suspen- 
sion bridge a mile or two into the country, and back 
over another suspension bridge, both of which are 
among the most noted in the world. The first was 
finished in 1838, under the supervision of Monsieur 
Chaley, a French engineer, and up to a recent pe- 
riod, if not to the present time, it had the longest 
single span of any bridge extant, being nine hundred 
and five feet between the porticoes or suspension 
piers. Its height above the river Sarine, which runs 
through the city, is one hundred and seventy- four 
feet. The breadth of the roadway is forty- one feet. 
Soon after this bridge was opened its strength was 
tested "by causing a train of fifteen pieces of heavy 



FREIBURG. 171 



artillery, drawn by fifty horses, and attended by 
three hundred persons, to pass along it at the same 
time." Not the slightest indication of yielding could 
be detected in any part of the structure. It is men- 
tioned as a pleasing circumstance that the whole of 
this work was completed without serious accident to 
a single person engaged in its construction. We 
have no data showing the length or height of the 
bridge last built ; but it cannot differ much from the 
first. We felt when riding over them as we imagine 
we might feel in a balloon. We have photographs 
presenting a good view of them, as well as of the 
city, which is one of the most picturesque imagina- 
ble. The bridges span not only the river, which is 
not very large, but the valley in and upon the sides 
of which the city, with its ancient walls and watch- 
towers, is situated. The streets, of course, are gen- 
erally quite steep, and they abound in ornamental 
fountains. Many of the buildings have an antique 
and grotesque appearance, and one might travel the 
world over to find a place where more novel enjoy- 
ment could be crowded into an excursion, such as 
we have made, of two hours. 

" Here beauty and primeval nature dwell; 

Evergreen forests — fountains ever clear — 
Haunts of the fabled muse — how shall I tell 
The transport ye inspire in stranger's ear ? " 

We timed our ride so as to get back to the great 
organ concert (much better than the one we heard in 
Berne) in the Cathedral, which was founded in 1283. 
The tower of this Cathedral is three hundred and 
fifty- six feet high, and it is said to have the finest 
ring of bells of any church in Switzerland. At the 
principal porch are bas-reliefs representing "The 
Last Judgment." The old Duke Zahringen, who 



172 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

, * 

founded this city, as well as the city of Berne, 
seemed to have a fancy for this kind of pictures. It 
is to be hoped, however, that when he "put off this 
mortal coil" he did not go the way the most of his 
fellow- beings are represented by these frightful pic- 
tures to have departed. If he did, he must have 
found himself in the condition of the man who, not 
long since, is reported, while in communication with 
his wife through a spiritual medium, to have im- 
plored her to send him his coolest summer suit. 
The following is a description of this church orna- 
ment: "In the center we see St. Nicholas; above 
him the Saviour; to the right an angel weighing 
humanity in a balance; below, St. Peter introducing 
the just into Paradise; to the right a demon with a 
pig's head is dragging in chains a group of criminals; 
on his back he carries a basket filled with malefac- 
tors, which he is preparing to precipitate into a 
grand cauldron; in one corner is hell, represented by 
a monster filled up to overflowing with the con- 
demned; above, Satan on his throne." 

It is remarked as a singular fact that in the higher 
part of this city the inhabitants speak the French, 
and in the lower part the German language. The 
French are said to show a much greater partiality 
or aptitude for trade than their neighbors, the Ger- 
mans. One of the sights here is a large linden tree, 
planted in 1476, in commemoration of the battle of 
Morat. Here, also is the University of "Freiburg, a 
celebrated seat of learning. 



LAKE LEMAN. 173 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

"The Switzer's Land! where grandeur is encamped 

Impregnably in mountain tints of snow; 
Realms that by human foot-print ne'er were stamped, 

Where the eagle wheels and glacial ramparts glow! 
Seek, Nature's worshiper, those landscapes! — go 

Where all her fiercest, fairest charms are joined! 
Go to the land where Tell drew Freedom's bow; 

And in the patriot's country thou shalt find 
A semblance 'twixt the scene and his immortal mind." 

MjpHUS Campbell sang; and Rousseau, in approach- 
\^\ ing Switzerland by the Jura, exclaimed in 
ecstasy: "Ce pay sage unique, le plus beau dont Poeil 
humain fut jamais frappe! Sejour charmant auquel 
je n' avais rien trouve d' egal dans le tour du monde! 
— T aspect d' un peuple heureux et libre!" Dr. Beat- 
tie expresses nearly the same sentiment: "Who- 
ever," says he, "has traveled much, and compared 
the various attractions presented to him in the course 
of his peregrinations, will generally be found to 
admit that if there be any country which merits 
more attention than the rest, that country is Switz- 
erland." So far as our own experience extends, 
we accord fully with these sentiments. One here 
seems raised, as it were, above the bustling, anx- 
ious world to an elevation nearer to the heavenly 
spheres — to a height from whence one obtains a 
clearer view in looking "from Nature up to Nature's 
God." 

Our stay in Freiburg was short — a few hours only 
between trains — on the 21st of September, when we 
proceeded to Lausanne, two and a half hours by 
train, reaching there about seven, p. m. All along 



174 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

we were enchanted by the scenery. Speeding on, 
suddenly, as we emerged from a tunnel, we caught 
our first view of Lake Leman, which, almost at our 
feet, broke in all its beauty on our vision, while its 
hithermost border was smiling with grape vines and 
apple, pear, and plum trees loaded with fruit. 

"Clear, placid Leman! thy contrasted lake, 
With the wide world I dwelt in, is a thing 
Which warns me with its stillness, to forsake 
Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring." 

On the 22d, in carriage and on foot, we visited the 
most interesting parts of the town, first calling to 
see Mrs. Consul General Hitz, knowing that she, 
with her sprightly children, had been residing here 
several months; but we were disappointed in finding 
that they were in Paris on their way home. The 
Cathedral is the most prominent building in the city. 
It dates back to the tenth century, and possesses 
a good deal of interest. It contains among other 
monuments one to Victor Amadeus VIII. , Duke of 
Savoy, and one to Otho of Grandson. There are 
also on the walls many memorial inscriptions, one 
of which, in French, recites that Henrietta, wife of 
Stratford Canning, English Ambassador to Switzer- 
land, died June 17, 1817; amiable as she was young 
and beautiful, and as happy as it is permitted to 
mortals to be. On this account, however, not less 
prepared to enter heaven, if innocence and a sincere 
piety may have any merit before God. Lausanne is 
noted as having been the residence of both Voltaire 
and Gibbon, and that the latter, whose house we 
saw, wrote here the concluding chapter of his great 
work on the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Em- 
pire." The city stands some fifteen minutes' walk 



OUCHY. 175 



from the lake. It covers three ridges and the inter- 
mediate valleys, and most of the streets are rather 
steep; but the situation, affording as it does charm- 
ing views of the lake and adjacent scenery, is very 
beautiful. There is an old Castle here with watch- 
towers on its four corners. It is now used for public 
offices. Many of the houses have a very ancient 
look. 

Ouchy is the port of Lausanne, and here is situa- 
ted the principal hotel, the Beau Eivage, one of the 
largest and finest public houses probably in Switzer- 
land. It is near the lake shore, and the grounds 
around it are laid out in the most tasteful manner. 
We left our Pension Beau Sejour on the 23d, at ten 
o'clock, expecting to take the boat for Vevay at half 
past ten; but when we reached the steamboat land- 
ing, right in front of the Beau Bivage Hotel, we 
learned that the boat had been gone half an hour. 
We had to wait till noon, therefore, for the next 
boat — a disappointment, as we wished to visit Vevay 
and the Castle of Chillon that day, and stop over 
night at Villeneuve, the end of the steamboat route 
from Geneva. It so happened, however, that it 
was a very fortunate disappointment, showing that 

" There is some soul of goodness in things evil, 
Would men observingly distill it out" 

We knew before that ex-President Thiers was so- 
journing at the Beau Bivage Hotel, but being nat- 
urally disinclined to disturb him in his retreat, we 
did not intend to call on him. Finding, however, 
that we must wait two hours for the boat, it occurred 
to us that we would inquire at the hotel whether 
such a call would be proper, and on being assured 
that it would, we sent up our card to him. His 



176 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

French waiter, immediately brought back word that 
Monsieur Thiers was at present engaged, and wished 
to know if we were stopping at the hotel, and if we 
would not be good enough to call in the afternoon, 
We explained why it was not convenient to wait, 
and the messenger soon returned with a request for 
us to walk into Monsieur Thiers' private parlor, a 
large and handsomely furnished second - story room, 
looking out upon the lake. We took seats, and in a 
few moments the venerable ex -President entered 
from an adjoining front room and received us very 
cordially, taking a seat near us. We addressed him 
in English, when, raising one hand to his ear, he 
intimated that it was difficult for him to understand, 
and we then spoke to him in our broken French. 
He said he had been stopping some time at Vevay, 
but that he enjoyed better health at Ouchy. He 
complained of bronchitis, but his appearance was 
that of perfect health. He is a short, thick - set man, 
with a large head, gray eyes, hair nearly white, 
wears large -bowed spectacles, stands erect, and his 
expression, free from anything like hauteur, is alto- 
gether pleasant. Meeting him under such circum- 
stances, we made our call, of course, very brief; but 
in the few moments' conversation we had with him, 
President Buchanan's name being mentioned, he re- 
marked that he knew him, of course, but not person- 
ally. On our taking leave he accompanied us to the 
door, extending to us a pleasant good-bye, and we 
left highly gratified with our call — the result of one 
of those happy accidents which in the end turn out 
to be "blessings in disguise," and which we shall 
ever look back upon with profound pleasure. He is 
beyond question one of the most remarkable men as 
well as one of the greatest statesmen of the age, and 



VEVAY. 177 



there is no person living whom we would have pre- 
ferred to see and speak with. * 

According to an authority before us, it was, while 
detained by stress of weather, at the Anchor Hotel 
of Ouchy that Lord Byron composed his "Prisoner 
of Chillon," "and where, from his window, he could 
observe the Castle thus immortalized rising white 
on the eastern verge of the lake. He visited every 
locality," in this part of Switzerland, "known in 
history or tradition; and in one of his published 
letters says: 'I inclose you a sprig of Gibbon's aca- 
cia, and some rose leaves from his garden, which, 
with part of his house, I have just seen.' Moore has 
well observed that this circumstance in the life of 
the immortal bard has added 'one more deathless 
association to the already immortalized localities of 
the lake ' — 

* Rousseau, Voltaire, our Gibbon, and de Stael — 
Leman! these names are worthy of thy shore! ' " 

In less than one hour after leaving Ouchy we 
found ourselves at Vevay, where we spent three 
hours — long enough to walk all through the little 
town and get a lunch at the Hotel Monnet before 
the arrival of the next boat. At Vevay there is 
a very ancient and noted society called the "Abbaye 
des Vignerons," whose object it is to encourage and 
superintend the culture of the grape vine with a 
view to the raising of the best grapes and the pro- 



* The announcement of the sudden death of this great man, which oc- 
curred at Paris on the 3d of September, 1877, touched us the more deeply 
from this personal interview. It was with lively satisfaction that, on the 
day of his funeral, we observed the United States flags at half-mast over 
the Government Departments — a fitting recognition of his distinguished 
character and services, and of the cordial relations between the two coun- 
tries. 



178 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



duction of the finest qualities of wines. At certain 
periods they have a great fete, at which premiums 
are distributed to the most meritorious wine-growers; 
and on these occasions sometimes as many as sixteen 
thousand spectators, from all parts of Switzerland, 
are present; and they are entertained with proces- 
sions, dances, songs, banquets, and dramatic ex- 
hibitions of a most unique character, embracing u 'a 
medley of heathen ceremony and scriptural scenes 
from the Old Testament, mixed up with customs 
still observed in the Canton." 

"Clarens, sweet Clarens, birthplace of deep love," 

is the next village southeast of Vevay, and then 
comes Montreux, both, like Lausanne and Vevay, 
beautifully situated on the east shore, or near the 
shore of the lake, with a southern exposure. Next 
is Chillon, which can hardly be called a village, as 
we remember to have seen little more than scatter- 
ing dwellings along the road which leads by the 
Chateau. As we were now soon to cross the mount- 
ains to Chamouni, and thence to take the diligence 
to Geneva, on going aboard the boat at Lausanne, 
we had our baggage checked direct to Geneva. From 
Vevay we proceeded to Chillon, where we landed, 
and our party of four (Mr. Evans and daughter be- 
ing still with us) were in about twenty minutes con- 
veyed in a rowboat to the Castle of Chillon, too late, 
however, to be admitted that evening, although the 
boatmen, who were in for a job, assured us that 
we should be in time. Arranging for an early ad- 
mission in the morning, as we desired to take the 
first boat for Villeneuve, we walked a short distance 
to the nearest public house — a small hotel or pen- 
sion built against the perpendicular side of a cliff, 



CHILLON. 179 



the top of which, where there was a vineyard, being 
reached by long ladders from the side of the high- 
way. Here we had comfortable accommodations in 
rooms fronting on the lake; and the charge therefor 
was so ridiculously low that we give it: For supper, 
lodging, and breakfast, our bill for each person was 
just three francs and a half — seventy cents! In the 
morning by seven o'clock we were at the Castle, 
which resembles some of the smaller castles on the 
Rhine, and which we entered over a bridge. Until 
the invention of gunpowder it is said this Castle was 
considered impregnable, being entirely surrounded 
by water, which is very deep against the walls on 
the lake side. 

" Lake Leman lies by Chillon's walls; 
A thousand feet, in depths below, 
Its massy waters meet and flow; 
Thus much the fathomed line was sent 
From Chillon's snow-white battlement, 
Which round about the wave enthralls." 

We were conducted over nearly the entire struc- 
ture, going first into the dungeon where Bonnivard, 
prior of St. Victor, the "Prisoner of Chillon," made 
immortal by Byron, was confined six years, about 
1536, and where we saw the ring in the stone pillar 
to which Bonnivard was chained. The name of 
Byron, cut by his own hand, appears on this pillar, 
or on one near it, and in an adjoining dungeon we 
saw the stone bed on which prisoners had to sleep, 
if they slept at all, on the night preceding their 
execution. The rooms occupied six hundred years 
ago by the Duke and Duchess of Savoy are now 
uninhabitable, and the banquet room is filled with 
old flags and other ancient relics. Other rooms con- 
tain cannon and a variety of other war implements. 



180 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

On our way by Villeneuve, a large village, at which 
we did not stop, at the end of the lake, to Bouveret, 
we passed in the steamer near a diminutive island, 
only about large enough to support one or two trees, 
and this was the only spot of land within sight of 
Bonnivard, through the narrow opening in his dun- 
geon wall. We reached Bouveret, a woe -begone 
looking little village, at nine o'clock in the morning, 
where we had to wait until noon for the train to 
Martigny, arriving at the latter place about half 
past one. This is the point of starting up over the 
mountains for. the valley of Chamouni, and we had 
the afternoon for preparation and rest. Between 
Bouveret and Martigny we passed near the Gorge 
du Trient and the Falls of Sallenche in plain sight. 
This cascade has a fall of one hundred and twenty 
feet, ending almost in spray, and is very beautiful. 
The Gorge, so far as the splitting of the mountain 
is concerned, is quite as wonderful, perhaps, as the 
Tamina Gorge at Ragatz. In 1867 the writer walked 
into the Gorge du Trient half a mile or more on 
a narrow suspension foot bridge over and along 
the rushing river Trient — a principal tributary of 
the Rhone — the mountain opening just enough to 
allow the waters to pass between walls we should 
judge to be four hundred feet in height. In many 
places the space was so narrow and the walls so 
projecting that we could not see the sky above 
us. It is this Gorge, no doubt, of which Byron 
wrote : 

"Now where the swift Rhone cleaves his way between 
Heights which appear as lovers who have parted 
In haste, whose mining depths so intervene 
That they can meet no more, tho' broken hearted; 
Though in their souls, which thus each other thwarted, 



MARTIGNY. 181 



Love was the very root of the foul rage 

Which blighted their life's bloom, and then departed — 

Itself expired, but leaving them an age 

Of years all winters — war within themselves to wage." 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

^HAMOUMT, September 27.— There is little of 
interest at Martigny, a village of some thirteen 
hundred inhabitants, but the surrounding scenery 
is grand. It is situated at the foot of the mountains 
where special conveyances are engaged for Cham- 
ouni, either by Tete Noir, or Col de Balme, as the 
traveler may choose. By the former route one may 
go in a low, narrow carriage, but by the latter, 
which we took, transportation is only by mules or 
donkeys. Having the whole afternoon at our dis- 
posal before starting on our route the next morning, 
we amused ourselves as best we could by walking 
around town and out over the river Dranse in the 
suburbs toward the Castle of La Batie, situated on 
a high bluff a mile or so from the village. The 
ruins of this old Castle add much to the picturesque- 
ness of the place. The monks of St. Bernard have 
a convent here, but we remember to have seen no 
elegant buildings. We sought out the postmaster 
for some postage stamps, and seeing that he was 
engaged in making wine, we expressed a desire to 
see the wine press. He cheerfully acquiesced, and 
took us to the mill, a short distance from his office, 
where we were treated to a ladleful of the unfer- 
mented juice out of the wine vat. It tasted like 
sweet cider. The press resembled the old - fashioned 



182 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

cider press. On our way back to our hotel we were 
entertained by the violent antics of a donkey that 
took it into his head to run off with a load of fodder, 
regardless of sidewalks and frightened women and 
children. He was soon overtaken, however, and 
received a sound lashing for his ill-behavior. Our 
attention was also attracted by a peasant woman 
carrying a large basket of clothes on her head, and 
her bonnet or hat under one arm, while she was 
leading a goat and knitting all at the same time. 
Such industry surely ought to reap a suitable re- 
ward. 

Having made our arrangements for guides and 
mules the preceding evening, we were ready to pro- 
ceed on our journey at half past seven on the morn- 
ing of the 25th instant. Our traveling companions 
were now increased to six. At least we formed a 
party of eight, who, With guides and mules, were to 
jog along together over the mountains. Each couple 
had two mules and one guide between them, except 
a Mr. Hoskins and wife, from London, who hired 
but one mule, Mr. Hoskins walking the whole way. 
An Irish member of Parliament, Mr. Brooks, and 
his wife, and Mr. Thomas Evans and daughter, pre- 
viously mentioned, were the other two couples. The 
guides generally held the reins of the ladies' mules, 
but the gentlemen managed their own, or rather left 
the animals to do as they pleased. It was amusing 
to watch their perambulations. The writer's mule, 
like all the rest, we have no doubt, was very clever, 
in the English sense of that word at least. He had 
a decided penchant for going as near the edges of 
precipices as possible without falling over, and espe- 
cially when we came to the short turns in our zig- 
zag course. Several times in such places we drew a 



COL DE BALME. 183 



taught inner rein on him, and instead of mending 
his ways he would stop stock still, as much as to 
say, ' ' If you think you know better than I do, you 
should dismount and we will change positions with 
each other! Remember I am an old hand at this 
business, while you are evidently a novice, else you 
would leave me to paddle my own canoe, or, what 
amounts to the same thing, do my work in my own 
way." There was such a calm determination in his 
bearing that we felt satisfied it would not only be 
useless, but dangerous, to contend, and remember- 
ing, too, that "discretion is the better part of valor," 
we yielded gracefully to superior wisdom — a course 
we had no cause to regret, for we were borne along 
safely on the very edges of some of the most frightful 
precipices imaginable. For nearly two hours of the 
first part of the journey it was so foggy that our 
view was entirely obstructed; but after that, until 
we reached nearly to the summit, where there is a 
small inn, the fog having passed off, we were fa- 
vored with many views that filled us with delight. 
It began to rain just before we arrived at the inn, 
and continued for two hours and a half while we 
remained there for dinner and for the rain to cease. 
All this time, when we fondly anticipated enjoying 
a prospect nowhere else to be seen, we were envel- 
oped in the clouds, and we wished now that we had 
gone upon the Rhigi. We caught our first sight of 
Mont Blanc a few minutes before it set in to rain, 
but the clouds were already resting on its base and 
upon all the adjacent mountains, so that the view 
was anything but satisfactory. Our inn was a poor 
concern — far inferior to the old Tip -top House on 
Mount Washington — but it was much better than 
none, notwithstanding soup was about the best food 



184 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

to be had there. It served, too, to shelter us from 
the storm, which raged fiercely until three o'clock, 
when we started to descend. The path was now so 
steep, and slippery by the rain, that it required no 
argument from the guides to convince us that our 
safer course altogether was to descend the mountain 
on foot, as they advised; therefore, all except Mrs. 
Brooks chose this way, and walked and slid for two 
hours until we reached the level ground of the val- 
ley. More than once some of our party, both ladies 
and gentlemen, suddenly found themselves tripped 
up and sliding at full length down steep places over 
the wet turf, which we occasionally sought in order 
to avoid the mud and roughness of the mule path. 
To support each other, some of our couples walked 
hand -in -hand; and as we were traveling for pleas- 
ure, we made light of our mishaps, as it was natural 
under such circumstances for young people to do. 
On the way, high up on the side of the mountain, 
where there was some verdure, we came to a flock 
of sheep and goats, attended by a shepherd. Hast- 
ening on, we at length reached the valley, where we 
were glad to remount our mules, which had been 
brought along by our guides. A ride of two or three 
miles, more or less, took us to a small settlement 
where hackmen were anxious for us to employ them 
to take us the rest of the way, five miles, to Cha- 
mouni; but as this was to be an additional expense, 
and as we had paid for our mules to carry us through, 
we decided to keep our saddles and go ahead. This 
decision did not find favor with our guides, who evi- 
dently wished us to make the change, so that they 
themselves might rtde the mules into town. It was 
now sundown, and it commenced to rain again, and 
soon to pour in torrents, which did not cease until 



CHAMOUNI. 185 



after we reached our Pension Couttet in the village 
of Chamouni, near the foot of Mont Blanc and of 
the Mer de Glace. Luckily, before sailing froni 
New York, we purchased for ourselves each a gossa- 
mer water -proof, the lady's with cape and hood — 
the weight of both was just two pounds — and these, 
with an umbrella, shielded us in good degree from 
the storm. 

The next day was clear and pleasant. Here we 
were in a valley three thousand feet above the level 
of the sea, shut in closely on three sides by high 
mountains, the monarch of all, Mont Blanc, towering 
over twelve thousand feet above us. "Nothing short 
of actual observation can convey any adequate idea 
of the solitary grandeur and gigantic proportions of 
Mont Blanc." In a straight line from Chamouni to 
its summit the distance is only about ten miles, and 
in the sunlight, or in a bright moonlight, it appears 
to be even nearer; but travelers who ascend to the 
top are obliged to walk between forty and fifty miles 
to accomplish the journey. Dr. Paccard, a physician 
of Chamouni, was the first to make the ascent, on 
the 7th of August, 1786. In the following year De 
Saussure, attended by a servant and eighteen guides, 
also made a successful ascent, carrying meteorologi- 
cal instruments, and surprised and delighted the 
civilized world with a report of his experience and 
observations. Notwithstanding many persons have 
since lost their lives by this hazardous undertaking, 
no year now passes without its safe accomplishment 
by a greater or less number of enterprising travelers. 
With few exceptions, however, visitors are satisfied 
with a trip over Montanvert to the Mer de Glace, 
and to the summit of Mont Brevent, or to Flegere, 
high above the valley on the west or southwest of 



186 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the village. In 1867 the writer visited those three 
places, one day walking up Montanvert, across the 
Mer de Glace, and back to Chamouni by the Mauvais 
Pas, or dangerous foot-path, cut in the side of a 
nearly perpendicular mountain. On the upper side 
of this footway, which extends a distance of many 
rods, there is an iron railing to hold on by. Montan- 
vert is ascended by a zig-zag mule path in about two 
hours. Coming to the sea of ice, we expected to 
see a smooth, transparent surface, but such was 
not the case. One writer has described its exterior 
mass as "congealed waves which, from the heights 
of Montanvert, appeared like furrows in a plowed 
field," but which, on approaching them, are found 
"to rise in abrupt ridges from twenty to forty feet," 
with a rough surface. 

"Wave upon wave! as if a foaming ocean, 

By boisterous winds to fierce rebellion driven, 
Heard — in its wildest moments of commotion — 
And stood congealed at the command of Heaven." 

The principal danger in crossing upon the ice is 
that one is liable to fall into deep chasms and wells 
near which he is obliged to pass. "The clefts, 
which have proved fatal to so many adventurers, 
are extremely variable in width, of enormous depth, 
and changing, as they descend, from a beautiful 
light green to an intense blue. They are occasioned 
by the rocky or unequal surface over which the 
glacier progressively descends, the sudden changes 
of atmospheric temperature, and the brittle material 
of which they are composed." We remember that 
we had to walk several yards on a foot -way of 
not more than two feet in width between two of 
these deep crevices in the ice, having only our um- 



MER DE GLACE. 187 



brella for an alpenstock. The narrow ridge had 
been hacked by the guides to afford a safer foothold; 
but it would have been a very dangerous passage 
for any one of unsteady nerves. "The wells, which 
we observe scattered over these fields of ice, are 
produced by detached masses of granite, which, 
heated by exposure to the sun, melt and penetrate 
into the glacier, leaving the vertical aperture through 
which they descended filled with water. Within the 
substance of this glacier, as well as on its surface, 
numerous fragments of rock are deposited, which 
the storms and avalanches have detached from the 
higher mountains and transported to their present 
situation. On the borders and at the base of the 
glaciers these stones are accumulated in such masses 
as to form cairns of a hundred feet high." At the 
foot of this glacier is the Crystal Grotto, a tunnel 
caused by the melting of the ice, and from which 
issues a constant stream of water. It is described 
as very beautiful. "Its partition walls, as if cased 
by the finest pier-glass, multiply and reflect each 
other in such endless succession as to produce the 
most striking illusions, and conduct the imagination 
through a long labyrinth of gorgeous apartments, 
such as might embellish the wildest Arabian tale." 
On the border and within one foot of this wonderful 
sea of ice, we plucked fragrant wild flowers; as 
did also our dear companion, on the present visit, 
whom we entrusted to make the trip to the Mer 
de Glace and back direct without crossing, in the 
care of Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins. 

Mont Brevent is a very high mountain, fronting 
Mont Blanc. Starting at seven, it took till noon 
to reach the resting house at the terminus of the 
mule path, from which point we were obliged to 



188 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

go on foot; and it was nearly two o'clock when 
we arrived at the Tip -top House. On this part of 
the route we had to cross a field of snow, from 
which we made snow- balls which we carried to 
quench our thirst, for the day was very warm; and 
beyond this field our path was up the side of a ledge 
so steep that for some distance we had to incline 
forward and hold on by our hands, steps being cut 
in the rocks to avoid falling over backward. Then 
further on for a quarter of a mile our way was over 
a bed of loose rocks, large and small, till at length 
we reached the highest point. From this dizzy 
height we observed plainly, with a good field glass, 
two parties who had just attained the summit of 
Mont Blanc, which, with the rugged peaks of many 
other mountains before us, and the valley between, 
afforded, we imagine, one of the wildest and grand- 
est views in the world. After enjoying this grand 
picture of the Alps for an hour or more, we began 
our descent, which was more dangerous even than 
the ascent; but we all got over the fearful pass in 
safety, and rollicking across and down the steep 
fields of snow, we soon came to the mule station, 
from whence we returned, also on foot, by the way 
of Flegere to our comfortable quarters in the village. 



ARGENTIERE. 189 



CHAPTER XXX. 

"Above me are the Alps, 
The palaces of Nature, whose vast walls 
Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy scalps, 
And throned Eternity in icy halls 
Of cold sublimity, where forms and falls 
The avalanche — the thunderbolt of snow! 
All that expands the spirit, yet appalls, 
Gathers around these summits! " 



- 4 



s^RGENTIERE is a small hamlet through which 
^>£> we passed on our way to Chamouni, where we 
still remain, September 27th. It is situated at the 
foot of a glacier about five miles from the latter 
place, and, like Chamouni, is a pleasant summer 
resort for travelers. The Mer de Glace extends to 
within a few miles of the village of Chamouni on 
the north, and on the other side, nearer, at the foot 
of Mont Blanc, is the Glacier de Bossons, to which 
we one day started to walk, but were overtaken by 
the rain and were obliged to relinquish the under- 
taking. Our effort, however, was not without com- 
pensation, as our walk took us into the country by 
several cabins occupied by the peasantry and their 
cattle, and the rain furnishing us a good excuse to 
enter, we had the opportunity of observing some- 
what of the domestic life of these humble people. 
In a rough shed by one cabin they were breaking 
and hatcheling flax, as we used to see it done on the 
farm long years agone. We were more interested 
at another cabin, into which we were driven by the 
rain, now increased to a fierce storm, at the point 
where we were compelled to turn about. It was the 
home of an old mountain guide, now eighty- five, 
whose name is Couttet, a near relative of our land- 



190 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

lord of the Pension Couttet, who has also been em- 
ployed many years as a guide and resigned with 
marked rewards of merit. While the rain was pour- 
ing, this veteran guide related to us something of 
his history, giving account of the many times he 
had pioneered travelers, among whom were Ruskin 
and Albert Smith, of English fame, to the summit of 
Mont Blanc and safely down again. There is but 
one door to his cabin, and we sat on stools in the 
narrow hallway, out of one end of which, extending 
nearly along the whole front of the building, there is 
a door to the rooms occupied by himself and daugh- 
ter, and from the other end a door to the apartment 
devoted to their cattle. When the cattle came home 
for shelter we had to rise to let them pass. The 
daughter looks as coarse and sunburnt and almost 
as old as her father. Both were very kind to us, 
and appeared very thankful for the few sous we 
were happy to give them for their hospitality. Hav- 
ing no idea of being caught in such a storm, we 
were not well prepared for it, and when we reached 
our boarding house we were pretty well drenched. 

Geneva, October 6. — At half -past seven on the 
morning of September 28th, Mr. Evans and daughter 
having preceded us a day or two earlier, we left 
Chamouni by diligence and arrived in Geneva at 
half -past two. For two -thirds of the way or more, 
until we come in sight of the Jura mountains west 
of Geneva, the scenery is of the wildest character. 
The road runs between high mountains for many 
miles along the banks of the Arve — 

" Born where the thunder and the blast, 
And morning's earliest light are born," 

as Bryant writes of it, thus continuing: 



CHAMOUNI TO GENEVA. 191 

"Not from the sands or cloven rocks, 

Thou rapid Arve! thy waters flow; 
Nor earth, within her bosom, locks 

Thy dark, unfathomed walls below. 
Thy springs are in the cloud, thy stream 

Begins to move and murmur first 
Where ice-peaks feel the noonday beam, 

Or rain-storms on the glacier burst." 

In some places the river passes through deep gorges 
and over steep, rocky beds, surging along with fear- 
ful force and velocity. It was a grand sight to 
look from the top of the diligence — it was two 
stories high — away down into these gorges, as we 
were carried along right upon the edge of the preci- 
pice. We passed through several villages, and at 
one point, where we crossed the river on a stone 
bridge five hundred feet in length, we obtained a 
magnificent view of Mont Blanc. The view of this 
"Alpine Monarch" from this bridge is said to be 
the grandest and most satisfactory anywhere to be 
had of it. Not far from Cluses we passed near the 
mouth of the Grotto of Balme, w^hich extends into 
the mountain nearly two thousand feet, and is re- 
garded as a great natural curiosity. Here and there 
along the road are shrines, similar to what we saw 
by the highways in other parts of Switzerland, as 
well as in Austria. Generally they consist of a 
small structure just large enough to hold a figure, 
either in sculpture or painting, of the Crucifix or 
the Virgin; but sometimes only the Cross is pre- 
sented. It is difficult to give a faithful description 
of this day's journey; suffice it to say, that but 
for the rather too cold weather in the morning, 
the ride all the way would have been unsurpassed 
in everything calculated to enhance our enjoyment. 
Italy being our next objective point, we are now 



192 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

comfortably settled in Geneva, probably for a month, 
the winter season being the safest if not the best 
time to visit that land of the vine, olive, and fig- 
tree. Through the kind attention of our Consul, 
Hon. Charles H. Upton, and his estimable wife, 
we are pleasantly situated in a private boarding 
house, or pension, fronting on Lake Leman. The 
city is built on both sides of the lower end of the 
lake, or what might as well be called the Rhone 
— for the lake is only an expansion of the river — 
which is narrowed here, and, joining the Arve one 
mile below, flows on to the sea. Like all the Alpine 
streams from the snowy regions, the waters of the 
Arve have a milky appearance, and it is curious 
to observe how they retain this color in contra- 
distinction to the dark waters of the Rhone at the 
junction of the two rivers. The two flow rapidly 
along, side by side, in the same channel, for a mile, 
more or less, before they mingle and the Arve loses 
itself in the Rhone. This is one of the interesting 
sights of Geneva. At a point just above where 
the two rivers unite there is a bridge over the Arve, 
leading to a beautiful estate on its southwestern 
banks — a pleasant resort in hot days. The Rhone 
runs with great force through the city, dividing and 
forming a considerable island in the southern part 
thereof. This island is covered with buildings, most- 
ly, .we believe, manufacturing establishments, the 
machinery in which is moved by water. Two sub- 
stantial bridges connect the island with the main 
land on both sides. The river is spanned by two 
other fine long bridges nearer the lake, and from 
one of these is a foot-bridge to Rousseau's Island, a 
small spot of ground in the river, ornamented by 
shade trees and a handsome bronze statue of that 



GENEVA. 193 



distinguished Frenchman. The statue is on an ele- 
vated base in a sitting posture. It has for sentinels 
a flock of beautiful swans, whose lodge is near by. 
They glide gracefully over this part of the lake and 
river, sometimes also flying from one point to an- 
other. They are so fascinating to grown as well as 
little children that they are seldom without crackers 
and sweet cakes on their board, and they appear to 
be free from care and in the enjoyment of perfect 
happiness. The tongue of slander nor the sting of 
ingratitude ever disturbs their perfect composure: 
Who would not be a swan? Bath houses and wash 
sheds are erected over the river far enough from the 
shore to have the advantage of the swift stream. 
The latter face the shore, and at all times of day 
washerwomen, in long rows, may be seen hard at 
work washing clothes in the river. Their wash- 
boards reach into the water, and after applying a 
liberal quantity of soap and rubbing the clothes, 
throw them over a projecting bar arranged to secure 
them, and the rapid stream does the rinsing. The 
borders of the lake and river for miles around are 
protected by a substantial wall raised to a level with 
the streets, and the lake steamers and sailing vessels 
come directly up to this wall as their place of land- 
ing. Further up there is a breakwater extending 
out from either side of the lake, notwithstanding 
which, however, when what is called the bise takes 
place, which we have felt, the waters are thrown 
over into the streets. The bise is a violent north 
wind, which, sweeping down from the whole length 
of the lake, powerfully agitates the waters, as the 
waves of the ocean break upon the coast in a storm. 
The manner of setting the sails on the sailing ves- 
sels, called "mouches" (flies) here, gives them the 
13 



194 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

appearance at a distance of enormous birds about to 
alight on the water with their wings extended up- 
ward. 

We were surprised on the first of October to see 
wild strawberries on our table for dessert. They 
were about the size of the field strawberry of New 
England, but more oblong and pointed in shape, and 
not as sweet. We did not learn where they came 
from, but probably from the sunny side of the 
mountain or valley, as we observed here and there 
one on the Col de Balme and in the valley of Cha- 
mouni. They are, no doubt, sold at a moderate 
price, else grapes, which are plenty at from six to 
eight cents per pound, would be served instead. De- 
licious plums, too, are here in abundance and cheap. 
Peaches are scarce, and the only really fine ones we 
have seen we found in Vienna and Munich. 

The " English Garden" is a small inclosure in 
front of the eastern part of the old city, extending 
for a short distance along the foot of the lake. In 
this garden, laid out in grand walks bordered by 
shrubbery and flowers, with scattering trees, there 
is a neat cottage building, where there is a "Relief 
of Mont Blanc," presenting a correct description in 
miniature of this monarch of mountains, the top of 
which is to be seen to good advantage from the west 
side of the river or foot of the lake. Early after 
sunset in Geneva, on clear evenings, many lovers of 
the grand and beautiful go to this locality to feast 
their eyes upon the splendid sight of Mont Blanc, 
looming above all other mountains and smiling still 
in the varied hues of a bright sunshine. It is indeed 
a most charming picture. 

We have been happy to meet here our Minister, 
Hon. Mr. Rublee, and also our ^battle - scarred vet- 



GENEVA. 195 



eran, General Heintzelman, with his pleasant wife 
and daughter. We have passed an hour most agree- 
ably at Mr. Bremond's manufactory of music boxes 
and other musical instruments, where we saw and 
heard various kinds of music boxes, chairs, books, 
and bottles, and charming artificial singing birds. 
Take a seat in his chairs, handle his books, or go to 
turn over his bottles, and they will at once strike up 
and discourse sweet music. Some of his instruments 
are in the shape of a cathedral of beautiful carved 
work; others of a rustic sawmill, arranged with 
spiral glass tubes moved by the machinery to repre- 
sent the fall of water, and others in the usual form 
of music boxes, finished in the highest style. You 
can have your choice in kind as well as price — pay- 
ing for each instrument from fifteen francs up to 
two thousand dollars at your pleasure. Apropos of 
this establishment, Mr. Upton told us of a good pun 
which our genial and witty "Grace Greenwood" 
threw off a few days ago when she with a party of 
friends was here. They were on the way to visit 
the establishment; but some of the gentlemen hav- 
ing to walk while the rest rode, Mr Upton, who was 
in the carriage, gave those on foot the direction by 
saying they would know the house by the sign of a 
lyre on its roof. "Yes," quickly added Grace; "and 
when you see that lyre, it will tell the truth" 




196 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

.ENEVA, October 30. — We have now been here 
a month, and the weather, a large part of the 
time, has been wet and disagreeable. Nevertheless, 
Geneva is an agreeable stopping -place, even in the 
wet season, to travelers going to or returning from 
Italy; and there is always a large number of strang- 
ers here. There are, we know not how many, first- 
class hotels here, and many excellent private board- 
ing houses, all within easy distance of one another; 
and one never need be at a loss for pleasant com- 
pany, leaving out the resident population, among 
whom are many cultivated and refined people. We 
have in our boarding house Rev. Abel Stevens, au- 
thor of the "History of Methodism in the United 
States," and his amiable wife, whom, among others 
here, we have found exceedingly pleasant company; 
and in the family of Mr. Consul Upton, near by, we 
are always made to feel as though at home. Then 
the Rev. Leonard Woolsey Bacon, pastor of the 
American church and editor of the Swiss Chronicle 
here, who with his family, consisting of his wife, 
eight children, and two interesting lady cousins, 
resides at Petit Saconnex, gives a reception every 
Thursday evening from four to ten o'clock, to which 
all Americans especially are invited. We have spent 
one evening most agreeably with them. Their resi- 
dence is in the country, about two miles from our 
boarding house. Refreshments were set out at six 
o'clock. After this we had several pieces of music 
by two of Mr. Bacon's sons and their teacher, on the 
violin, Mr. Bacon himself, who is an accomplished 
musician and composer, accompanying them on a 



FERNEY. 197 



violoncello. Following these, Madame, wife of Gen- 
eral Fluck, of the Austrian army, also present, per- 
formed a number of pieces on the piano in a superior 
manner. Thus, with music and conversation, these 
evenings are very enjoyable. # 

One day we went to Ferney, which is in France, a 
distance of some five miles from the city, to see 
Voltaire's chateau. Only two rooms, the parlor and 
a bed - room, both on the ground floor, are shown to 
visitors, and these remain just as he left them at his 
death. His parlor stove is quite a huge affair, and 
his lounge and most of the other furniture are rather 
common, but some of his chairs were handsomely 
embroidered — the work of his niece, whose portrait 
on the walls of one of the rooms shows her to have 
been a beautiful woman. His own portrait and mar- 
ble bust are also preserved here, as well as the por- 
traits of Frederick the Great and Queen Catherine 
II. of Russia. There are likewise engraved like- 
nesses of Milton, Racine, Corneille, Newton, the 
Calas family, Washington, and Franklin. That of 
Washington is unlike any other we have ever seen, 
and it is probably the only one of the kind extant. 
Of the Calas family, the likenesses of the mother, 
one son, two daughters, and man and maid servant 
are given. The history of this family is doubtless 
known to most of our readers. Jean Calas, the 
head of the family and a Protestant, was cruelly 
executed in 1762, at Toulouse, on the charge of mur- 
dering one of his own sons to prevent his secession 
from Protestantism; and subsequently, through the 
efforts of Voltaire and others, a reversal of the judg- 
ment of guilty against him was obtained; he and the 
family were declared innocent, and a pension of 
thirty thousand francs was granted to the family by 



198 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Louis XV. The only remaining descendant of this 
family now resides in Geneva, and is supported 
mainly by charity. In Voltaire's bed -room are two 
other small paintings; one a portrait of his washer- 
woman, find the other, a handsome face, of his 
chimney sweep in an Italian hat. The floor of the 
parlor is of wood, handsomely inlaid. In this room 
is an urn containing the ashes of Voltaire's heart. 
The house has beautiful surroundings, and it must 
have been a very fine one in its day. We walked 
through the long arbor where he used to go for 
exercise, and in which, we were told he sometimes 
did his writing. Near the northern entrance to the 
chateau is a small building with a clock -tower, and 
the name of Voltaire appears under the clock-face. 
This, we understood, was his church, but we think 
it is not used for religious services now. From 
this point a magnificent view is obtained of Mont 
Blanc. In the evening we went to hear a lecture 
by Monsieur Taine, the celebrated French author, 
before the College of Geneva. It was upon the 
life and manners of the French people before their 
revolution, from the time of Louis XI. to Louis 
XVII. The public hall was crowded by attentive 
listeners, among whom we observed Pere Hyacinthe. 
Monsieur Taine is a man, we should judge, about 
fifty years of age. His height is about five feet, 
ten inches, frame spare and muscular, and his move- 
ment active. He wears his whiskers and beard, 
which are black, with a slight mixture of gray, cut 
short. 

We have been several times to hear Pere Hya- 
cinthe, who conducts his services and preaches in 
the French language. Although we could not un- 
derstand him as well as we could wish, we felt 



GENEVA. 199 



sensibly the influence of his magnetism and elo- 
quence. He is undoubtedly an accomplished elo- 
cutionist and orator, and, without being a very large 
man, his presence is at once commanding and grace- 
ful. We sat near his wife and little son Paul, of 
whom they are said to be very proud, as they have 
a right to be, for he is a fine - looking boy, and may 
live to become as eloquent as his namesake. The 
congregation was comparatively small. 

There is a beautiful Greek Church here, richly 
frescoed in the interior, and the floor is covered 
by a handsome carpet, on which the people either 
stand or kneel, there being few or no seats. On 
a Sunday we were present for a short time near 
the close of the services, which were peculiar. The 
music, entirely vocal, was very fine. The Cathedral 
Church of St. Peter, where we have also attended 
Protestant services, is by far the more important. 
This church dates back to the eleventh century, and 
is fraught with many stirring events in the history 
of Geneva. Without going further back, when the 
Roman Catholics held sway here, years before John 
Calvin made his appearance, Farel and other Pro- 
testant reformers had succeeded in abolishing Ro- 
manism from the city, and St. Peter's, we believe, 
has ever since been in the possession of the Protest- 
ants. The same pulpit from which Calvin preached 
still remains in its place. Expelled from France, of 
which country he was a native, he was passing 
through Geneva as a fugitive when, being recog- 
nized by his Protestant brethren, he was prevailed 
on to remain, and finally became the dictator of the 
city. In an old French volume which a friend loaned 
us to read here, it is stated that when Calvin first 
came here he was a young man, and that he was 



200 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



so pale and sickly in appearance many thought he 
had but a few years at most to live. 

In the Rath Museum there is a collection of fine 
pictures, among them one representing "The Death 
of Calvin," and another, "Bonnivard in Castle Chil- 
lon." In the Academic Museum are many fine speci- 
mens of Zoology and Geology. Immense pieces of 
white and smoked crystal quartz in their native 
state excited our wonder and admiration. 

One pleasant afternoon we took a walk to the 
Chateau Diodati, situated about one mile and a half 
from the city on the southeast side of the lake. In 
1816 this Chateau was the residence of Lord Byron, 
and this is where he wrote some or all of his "Man- 
fred" and portions of "Childe Harold." It is snug- 
gled in among the trees, with a balcony on the lake 
side, the room in which he wrote looking out also 
upon the lake. We saw his bed, table, chairs, and 
other furniture used by him in this room. There are 
many charming residences on both sides of the lake, 
among them the princely chateau of Baron Adolphe 
Rothschild on the northwest side, in or near Little 
Saconnex. Just in the suburbs of the city is a large 
old mansion, now in a dilapidated condition, with 
a large lawn in front. It was at one period the 
residence of Voltaire, and for a few days in 1867 
the writer and his younger son occupied a chamber 
in it as boarders — the family with whom they were 
boarding having removed there. We observed noth- 
ing remarkable about it except that the dining-room, 
very high posted, as were all the other first story 
rooms, was unusually spacious, and the large panels 
of its walls were embellished with landscape paint- 
ings. Had these paintings the power of speech they 
could, without doubt, narrate many an interesting 



GENEVA. 201 



story in the gay life of Voltaire and his congenial 
associates. 

We have made here the acquaintance of a very 
pleasant gentleman and his accomplished wife, by 
the name of Saltzman. He is a retired watch manu- 
facturer. In company with Mr. Consul Upton, wife, 
and sister, we had the honor one day of dining 
with them. We mention this for the purpose of 
introducing a touching personal incident of the oc- 
casion. We will premise by saying that when the 
writer was at Geneva in 1867, Mr. Upton had two 
interesting daughters, Lucie and Estella, both young 
ladies grown. The latter, however, was then a suf- 
fering invalid, and died not very long afterward. 
Lucie subsequently married a Greek gentleman of 
fine character and went with him to reside in Greece, 
where they were blessed by the birth of a son, and, 
sorrowful to tell, the mother soon thereafter followed 
her sister to the spirit -land. At the dinner table 
Mr. Upton was led to speak of a melancholy pil- 
grimage he had not long before made to the home 
and grave of this cherished daughter; and he re- 
peated, in a tone and with a pathos we shall never 
forget, some lines he had written in allusion to this 
sad journey over the sea. At our special request 
he sent us the next day a copy of those lines, and 
we give them as they appear before us in his own 
plain hand: 

A CONCEIT. 

Float me safely, dark blue waves, 
O'er the Mediterranean sea — 
A living tie between two graves, 
I go, their spirit-tie to be. 

From where Estella lies in gloom, 
A rose, an autumn rose, I bear, 



202 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

To softly lay on Lucie's tomb, 

Whose leaves would else have perished there. 

* * # ■■ # •* 

Now tell me, tea-rose, whisper low! 
Have the dear sister-spirits met ? 
And are they where bright flowers grow ? 
And are they where no cheeks are wet ? 

Be still, my heart! I cannot hear 
What the fluttering leaves would say. 
Oh, coward heart! you doubt, I fear, 
And I, in anguish turn away.* 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

>URIN, November 4. — We have now fairly en- 
tered upon what we undertook not without 
some apprehension of sickness — a trip to Italy. 
We have heard a great deal about the deadly ma- 
laria of the Campagna, and of the debilitating and 
often fatal Roman fever, and we should leave a 



* We should not have ventured thus to raise the vail which concealed 
this sacred reminiscence from the public eye, but that we are obliged to 
record here, as we do in deep sorrow, the death of our dear friend, the 
author of this little poem — itself a gem. He died suddenly, supposed 
from heart disease, on the night of June 17, 1877. Mr. Upton had held 
the office of United States Consul at Geneva since his appointment by 
President Lincoln in the spring of 1861. In addition to this, he was 
from time to time called on to perform the duties of United States Minister 
for Switzerland during the absence of that officer; and on the 23d of 
January, 1877, after the Swiss mission had been reduced to that of a 
Charge d' Affaires and Mr. Rublee had resigned, Secretary Pish gave him 
the appointment, outside of his consulship, of Charge d' Affaires ad 
interim, and he held this office until his death. Admirably qualified by 
his ability, education, and courtesy of demeanor for any such position, he 
was ever most faithful to his trust. 



GENEVA TO TURIN. 203 

truth unspoken did we not frankly admit this ap- 
prehension. It was this concern of mind, no doubt, 
that superinduced this child's prayer one night as 
we lay more asleep than awake: 

Great Father, guide us on our way, 

And keep us safe from every harm; 
We crave Thy care from day to day, 

To cheer and keep from false alarm. 

Oftener than otherwise when one in sleep or in a 
dreamy state thinks he has said a wise or witty 
thing, on awakening he is surprised to find it the 
very opposite; but those lines appeared so fully to 
express our feelings and desires that, simple as they 
are, we put them in our note book, without, how- 
ever, the remotest idea of their ever going further. 
If any apology is needed for copying them here, it 
may be found in the patent fact that we started out 
and have continued on a somewhat familiar plane 
with our readers in all that we have had to say. 

Much of the time while we have been in Geneva 
the weather has been rainy, and it rained when we 
left there at half - past six on the morning of the 2d 
instant. We at first thought of taking Cook's tour 
tickets, which were offered at only about half the 
regular fare; but we were obliged to decline them 
because they were limited to ninety days — the length 
of time Mr. Seward said it would take to put down 
the rebellion. Before starting, on the day before, 
we procured from a restaurant a plump roast chick- 
en, some nice bread, and a bottle of vin ordinaire, 
for our next day's lunch on the train — preferring to 
take our meal quietly in our compartment to run- 
ning the chance of "a hasty plate of soup" at a 
restaurant outside. Knowing that we were to have 
the company of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Stickney and 



204 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Rev. Mr. Sumner, a young Congregational preacher 
from Chicago, they, on our advice, in like manner, 
secured the requisite materials for "internal im- 
provement." Rev. Mr. Frazier, from Philadelphia, 
on his way to Egypt, and a German gentleman 
were the only other occupants in our compartment. 
Wet as it was when we left Geneva, before we 
reached Culoz, two and a half hours' ride, we came 
out into fair weather, such as we had seldom seen 
for a month. The road runs along the slopes of the 
Jura mountains on the right bank of the Rhone, 
which flows through a narrow rocky valley between 
the Jura and Mont Vouache, where it is commanded 
by a French fort high up on the right. As the 
clouds overhead broke away, they settled down for 
many miles on the top and side of the Jura mount- 
ains, presenting, as the sun shone upon them, one of 
the most beautiful pictures of the kind we ever 
beheld. They were fleecy like cotton, and as from 
our elevated position we could see the top as well as 
the side of the clouds — the sky beyond forming the 
background — we could hardly find words to express 
our admiration of the tableau. Our special com- 
panion remarked that "the mountains seemed to 
be reluctant to lose their soft enveloping curtain 
so gently obscuring their peaks." The scenery all 
the way between Geneva and the Mont Cenis Tunnel 
— there must be at least twenty other tunnels on 
the whole route — is strikingly interesting, some of 
it being almost as fine as is to be seen anywhere in 
Switzerland. There was an examination of baggage 
at the French frontier, and then again at Modane, 
just before entering the great tunnel, near the east- 
ern end of which, but some two hundred feet below 
in the valley, is a small village, where there is 



MONT CENIS TUNNEL. 205 

a railroad junction. Our track led along the side 
of the mountain and directly above this village, 
where we had to pass over a bridge, which had 
evidently just been destroyed by a flood and tem- 
porarily reconstructed sufficiently to allow the train 
to pass. As we were on a curve, and moved very 
slowly, we could see the danger to which we were 
exposed, since, had this temporary structure given 
way, we should inevitably have been precipitated 
to the bottom of the valley. Just before reaching 
this bridge, we saw the guard and one or two pas- 
sengers alight and run ahead as though they were 
apprehensive of danger, and we think it was wrong 
not to have allowed all the passengers to do the 
same. The entrance to the tunnel does not differ 
from those of other railroad tunnels. There is a 
double track, and at short intervals lamps on high 
posts mostly between the tracks, but occasionally at 
the side; and if our eyes did not deceive us, there is 
a narrow foot way, also at one side. We were on 
the left track, and passed a lighted hand car with 
several roadmen on it in one part of the tunnel. 
We were not in the least disturbed by either smoke 
or gas, nor did we observe any unusual closeness in 
the air. While passing through, all in our compart- 
ment, except the German gentleman, united in sing- 
ing the "Rock of Ages," "Nearer my God to Thee," 
"Shall we Gather at the River," and "The Morning- 
Dawn is Breaking," the last at Mrs. Stickney's sug- 
gestion, just as the twilight began to pierce the 
darkness at the further end of the tunnel. We 
entered the tunnel, which is eight miles long, pre- 
cisely at five minutes past five and emerged from 
it at twenty- eight minutes past five, thus occupying 
twenty- three minutes in the passage. On the as- 



206 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

cending grade into the heart of the mountain the 
train moved much slower than on the descending 
grade. At the highest point we were four thousand 
feet above the level of the sea. It was about half- 
past nine in the evening when we reached Turin; 
and, as luck would have it, we were obliged to go to 
our hotel without our baggage, except what we had 
in a shawl strap. Intending to return by Geneva, 
we left one of our valises there, taking the other, a 
good sized one, along with us, and this, we found 
had been checked through by the express train, 
which parted from our train at Culoz, arriving at 
Turin two or three hours in advance of us. The 
baggage by the express train, not claimed, had been 
locked up for the night, and the officers of the cus- 
toms had gone home; so we were obliged to wait for 
our valise until morning, when, with the least pos- 
sible examination by those polite gentlemen with 
cocked hats and military cloaks, it was delivered 
to us. 

On the third, Messrs. Stickney, Sumner, and Fra- 
zier, having gone to the valley of the Waldenses, 
we, in company with Mrs. Stickney, were driven 
for one hour through the most interesting parts of 
the town and across the Po, over a bridge we should 
think' to be four hundred feet in length. This is an 
arched stone bridge, and a short distance further up 
the river there is a suspension bridge for foot passen- 
gers only. We passed many fine monuments, one 
of the most elaborate being that to Cavour — born 
1810, died 1861. We cannot fully describe it. It 
consists in part of a statue of himself with that of a 
beautiful woman, partly kneeling, with her left arm 
around his waist, and eyes raised toward his face. 
Other figures surround the base. We have a good 



TURIN. 207 



photograph of it. To show the contrast between 
Turin and Washington, we may be pardoned for 
saying that the whole charge for the hour's ride — 
our carriage was a nice one with four seats hand- 
somely lined and cushioned — was just one franc 
and a half, with the addition of three sous pour- 
boire! We are also agreeably disappointed in the 
beauty of the city, which is generally laid out in 
squares, with streets of' good width, and many pub- 
lic squares well paved and adorned by equestrian 
and other monumental statues, and flanked by mag- 
nificent palaces. What we especially like about the 
streets is that, while they are paved for the most 
part with cobble stones, there are four rows of 
smooth stone slabs placed just wide enough apart 
for carriage wheels, and the sidewalks are paved 
with similar slabs. The buildings generally are 
high and handsome, and the city has altogether a 
modern appearance. We have seen no narrow, 
dirty streets, such as we find in all the old cities we 
have visited. On some of the streets and open 
squares are long rows of shops, entered from high 
and airy arcades. 

From 1859 to 1865 Turin was the capital of Italy 
and the residence of the King, whose Palace here is 
always ready for him whenever he visits the city. 
We have been conducted through the Palace, which 
is a plain brick edifice sumptuously furnished, and 
we avail ourselves of the note -book of our "better 
half" for a description of what we saw. The pillars 
of the gateway to the Palace are decorated by two 
groups in bronze of Castor and Pollux, and in a 
niche in the Palace hall is an equestrian statue of 
Duke Victor Amadeus I. — the statue being of bronze 
and the horse marble, beneath which are the figures 



208 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

of two slaves. We were met first by an officer 
wearing a long cloak> one corner of which was 
thrown over his shoulder, and a three - cornered hat ? 
adorned with a large bunch of black rooster's feath- 
ers, falling gracefully over his side face. He walked 
up and down without saying a word; but another 
officer, dressed in red, white, and gold, pointed to 
the beautiful marble entrance, which is quite beyond 
description. There are six white marble steps to the 
first landing, from which other wide marble steps 
lead to the second story. The ceiling is beautifully 
frescoed. On the walls of the stairway are fine 
paintings. One represents Tasso, richly dressed in 
black velvet, being introduced to the Court; and 
another, "The Eeceipt of the Declaration of War by 
Spain." We walked first into the footmen's room, 
elegantly furnished with rich paintings on ceiling 
and walls; then into the pages' room, equally ele- 
gant, and next to the throne room, and so on until 
we had passed through some twenty rooms in all. 
Over the throne is a canopy of red velvet shaded to 
orange. The doors are richly gilded and the ceilings 
of the rooms, some of which are lined with red vel- 
vet, are beautifully frescoed, while the window cur- 
tains are of silk lace. There are many fine paint- 
ings in the different apartments, the floors of which, 
of inlaid wood, are so smooth that we were obliged 
to slip or slide over them. Among the paintings is 
a magnificent one of "Solomon on his Throne." In 
the dining room there is a crystal chandelier, and 
there is another in the large ball room, which is 
splendidly finished with Doric columns and heavy 
gilt cornices. The Queen's Chapel is small but ele- 
gant. The furniture of all the rooms is very rich, 
none of it more so than a number of mosaic tables, 



MILAN. 209 



which are surprisingly beautiful. The Palace also 
contains an extensive library. 

There is an Armory, Museum of Natural History, 
Museum of Antiquities, and an extensive Painting 
Gallery here; but we did not take the time to visit 
them, since we expect to see everything of this kind 
in other Italian cities. 



CHAPTEE XXXIII. 



Wt\ 



ILAN, November 5. — We left Turin yesterday 
forenoon, and arrived at Milan in time to ride 
an hour around the city, visiting the Cathedral of 
St. Ambrose and the celebrated picture of the "Last 
Supper," by Leonardo da Vinci. The Cathedral was 
founded by St. Ambrose in the fourth century, and 
the guide-books tell us that the gates are those 
which he closed against the Emperor Theodosius 
after the cruel massacre of Thessalonica; also, that 
the Lombard Kings and German Emperors formerly 
caused themselves to be crowned here with the Iron 
Crown, which is still preserved at Monza. The in- 
terior is richly adorned. with fresco and other paint- 
ings, mosaics, statues, etc. "The brazen serpent 
on a column in the nave is said to be that raised 
by Moses in the wilderness." We had not time 
to investigate the truth of this statement, and there- 
fore accepted it as authentic without controversy. 
It is no doubt just as true as that a certain silver 
case in the Cologne Cathedral contains the bones 
of the three wise men who came from the East 
to Bethlehem to offer their presents to the infant 
14 



210 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Christ, and which precious remains, it is said, were 
presented to the Archbishop of Cologne by the Em- 
peror Barbarossa when he captured them with the 
city of Milan. We were shown here, also, some 
very curious old parchment books of the fourteenth 
century, and sat in a marble arm-chair made at 
the time the church was founded. 

The painting of the " Last Supper" is in the re- 
fectory (now a cavalry barrack) of the suppressed 
Monastery of the Church of Santa Maria delle Gra- 
zie. There is nothing very remarkable in the church, 
but we viewed this picture with great interest, not- 
withstanding it has been much defaced. Roscoe, 
in his "Life of Leo X.," speaking of Leonardo da 
Vinci, observes: "By his astonishing skill in music, 
which he performed on a kind of lyre of his own 
invention, and by his extraordinary facility as an 
improvisatore, in the recitation of Italian verse, no 
less than by his professional talents, he secured the 
favor of his patron (Lodovico, 1492,) and the ap- 
plauses of the Milanese Court. Lodovico had, how- 
ever, the judgment to avail himself of the oppor- 
tunity afforded him by this great artist, to enrich 
the city of Milan with some of the finest productions 
of his pencil; and if the abilities of Leonardo were 
to be estimated by a single effort, his panegyrist 
might perhaps select his celebrated picture of the 
"Last Supper" as the most valuable of his works. 
In this piece it was doubtless the intention of the 
painter to surpass whatever had before been exe- 
cuted, and to represent not merely the external form 
and features, but the emotions and passions of the 
mind, from the highest degree of virtue and benefi- 
cence in the character of the Saviour to the extreme 
of treachery and guilt in that of Iscariot; while the 



MILAN. 211 



various sensations of affection and veneration, of 
joy and of sorrow, of hope and of fear, displayed in 
the countenances and gestures of the disciples, might 
express their various apprehensions of the mysterious 
rite. In the midst sits the great founder, dispensing 
with unshaken firmness, from either hand, the em- 
blems of his own approaching suffering. The agita- 
tion of the disciples is marked by their contrasted 
attitudes and various expressions. Treachery and 
inhumanity seem to be concentrated in the form 
and features of Judas Iscariot. In representing the 
countenance of Christ he found, however, the pow- 
ers of the artist inadequate to the conception of his 
own mind. To step beyond the limits of earth, and 
to diffuse over those features a ray of divinity, was 
his bold but fruitless attempt. The effort was often 
renewed, and as often terminated in disappointment 
and humiliation. Despairing of success, he disclosed 
his anxiety to his friend and associate, Bernardo 
Zenale, who advised him to desist from all further 
endeavors, and in consequence of which this great 
work was suffered to remain imperfect." The size 
of this picture is fifteen by thirty feet. 

In the evening we went into the great Cathedral, 
which, by many travelers, is regarded as the most 
majestic and beautiful in the world. It had been a 
great day there, but we arrived only in time to see a 
long line of priests leaving for their cloisters, and 
the removal from the altar of a number of silver 
saints — statues, of full size, in solid silver — all of 
which we sa\v in the sacristy to-day, after which 
we spent an hour or two on top of the building, the 
whole of which, including the roof, its ninety- eight 
pinnacles, and its innumerable statues, is of white 
marble. Some travelers have stated the number of 



212 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



statues in the interior and on the outside as high as 
seven thousand, with places for three thousand more. 
Here is a true picture by Tennyson: 

"O Milan, O the chanting quires, 
The giant windows' blazoned fires, 

The height, the space, the gloom, the glory! 
A mount of marble, a hundred spires ! 
I climbed the roofs at break of day; 
Sun-smitten Alps before me lay. 

I stood among the silent statues, 
And statued pinnacles mute as they. 
How faintly-flushed, how phantom-fair, 
Was Monte Rosa, hanging there. 

A thousand shadowy-penciled valleys 
And snowy dells in a golden air! " 

The interior is hardly less imposing than the exte- 
rior. "Its double aisles, its clustered pillars, its 
lofty arches, the luster of its walls, its numberless 
niches filled with marble figures— give it an appear- 
ance novel even in Italy, and singularly majestic." 
Its works of art, consisting of paintings, statuary of 
various kinds, bronze as well as marble, monuments 
I to distinguished persons, etc., with nearly four hun- 
dred representations of Scriptural subjects on the 
stained glass of the choir windows, afford boundless 
satisfaction to the visitor. We should not forget to 
speak of one other thing we saw on our visit here: 
Within a circular railing, twenty feet or more in 
circumference, near the altar, a white covering had 
been spread on the floor, and a choir boy was en- 
gaged in gathering into a bag thousands of soldi or 
sous that had been thrown in there by the faithful 
worshipers, literally covering the floor with them. 

In the Picture Gallery here are many noted paint- 
ings of Rubens, Tintoretto, Paul Veronese, Bellini, 
Giotto, Leonardo, and other distinguished artists' 



MILAN TO VERONA. 213 



Among these we were particularly impressed with 
one by Bellini, representing "St. Mark Preaching at 
Alexandria/' and another by Paul Veronese, depict- 
ing "Christ in the House of the Pharisee." 

The extensive arcade recently constructed here is 
a magnificent improvement. It takes in parts of 
four streets, forming a cross, entirely spanned by 
glass roofs. The buildings below the base of the 
arches are five stories . high. There is a dome in 
the center, and therefrom wings extend the length 
of a square in each direction. Within this arcade 
are a large number of the finest shops, and in the 
evening when we were there it was thronged with 
people. The dome, which is much broader than 
that of our Capitol, in like manner with ours was 
lighted by a circular row of gas jets. 

Verona, November 6.— We reached Como from 
Milan last evening. It is a charming place. This 
morning, after visiting an interesting old cathedral, 
the market, etc. , we took the steamer for Varenna, 
a tumble -down village on the east side of the lake, 
some three hours' sail, via Bellagio, another de- 
lightful summer resort on a point of land between 
Lake Como and another part of that lake called 
Lake Lecco. The scenery was charming, but the 
season, of course, was too far advanced to show 
all its beauties. We had for companions Mr. Stick- 
ney and wife and Rev. Mr. Sumner, all of whom 
had traveled with us from Geneva. At Varenna we 
hired a comfortable two horse carriage and rode 
over a smooth turnpike for two hours and a half, 
along the lake shore to Lecco, where, after a good 
dinner at a hotel, and a view of this singular old 
town, we took the cars for Bergamo, on the main 
line from Milan to Verona and Venice. This turn- 



214 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

pike, much of the way, was cut out of the mountains, 
and at two points it runs a considerable distance 
through tunnels. Other portions are bordered by 
grape vines, olive and mulberry trees, with occa- 
sional fig trees and box- wood growing spontaneous- 
ly. The carriage ride was very romantic, and we 
all enjoyed it better even than the sail on the lake. 
When we reached Bergamo it had commenced to 
rain, and the night being dark we were shut out 
from all view until we arrived, near midnight, at 
Verona, where we now rest. 

Having, in the early part of October, 1867, made 
the trip from Milan to Venice by daylight, in com- 
pany with his son Henry Franklin, the writer is 
enabled to give a brief description of the route. 
When at a little past six in the morning we took the 
cars at Milan the ground was covered with frost. 
At ten we were at Brescia, the ride thus far being 
through flat, wet country, possessing little interest, 
except the city of Bergamo, a walled town on the 
side of a hill, which we passed at half -past eight, 
and which presented a novel appearance. At eleven 
we were at Desenzano, on Lake Garda, a beautiful 
sheet of water stretching off to the mountains on 
our left. All the way from Milan are forests of 
mulberry trees. They have the shape of an apple 
tree, and here and there the peasants were carefully 
picking the green leaves from their limbs. There 
were here also many grape vines running in festoons 
from one mulberry tree to another. We next came 
to Peschiera, where there are formidable fortifica- 
tions on the left, embracing a village, which faces 
Lake Garda, and the whole is upon a small island. 
There is also a strong fort on the right. Our time 
being limited, we stopped at Verona only to dine, 



VERONA. 215 



and did not leave our seats at Padua; but near the 
station at the latter place we saw men engaged in 
expressing the juice from cart loads of grapes by 
trampling upon them barefooted and bare -legged. 
These vehicles served both for carts and vats — the 
cart -body being made tight so as to hold the wine 
until drawn off. This is probably the primitive mode 
of making wine. 



W 



CHAPTEE XXXIV. 

Please you, I '11 tell you as we pass along, 
That you will wonder what hath fortuned. 

— Two Gentlemen of Verona, 

^^ERONA, November 8. — Yesterday (Sunday) we 
attended service at two of the Roman Catholic 
churches, both very ancient, and also the Walden- 
sian Protestant Mission, where we arrived in time to 
hear part of a sermon by the Italian pastor, Rev. 
Stefano Revels. As he preached in the Italian lan- 
guage we were able to comprehend but very little 
of what he said; but, nevertheless, we were im- 
pressed with his apparent solemnity and eloquence 
of manner, and enjoyed the sweet singing of the 
choir. The service was in a small room entered 
through two others, one of which is used for their 
Sunday School, and over the door of which, in Ital- 
ian, is this verse: "Know ye not that ye are the 
temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in 
you?" The following verses were on the walls of 
the lecture room: 1 — "Jesus saith unto her, Go call 
thy husband and come hither." 2 — "For we are 



216 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good 
works." 3 — "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye 
think ye have eternal life." 4 — "Jesus said unto 
her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that be- 
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live." After dinner, on our invitation, Mr. Revels 
and his young English wife called and passed an 
hour with us at our hotel. He is evidently well 
educated, speaking English fluently, and is earnestly 
engaged in his mission. He says there are fifty- 
nine thousand Roman Catholics, one thousand Jews, 
and only five hundred Protestants in this city. He 
makes it a large part of his duty to visit from house 
to house, where he is always kindly treated, but 
generally told by the families that they look to their 
priests for spiritual guidance and prefer that he 
should not trouble himself to call. Occasionally he 
meets a person who acknowledges to him secretly 
that he believes the Protestant to be the true reli- 
gion, but says at the same time that were he to 
come out openly and declare such to be his belief, he 
would be cast off by both priest and people, and 
consequently unable to get any employment. The 
priests warn all against listening to the Protestant 
instruction, and they take and burn all the Bibles 
they find presented to them. Mr. Revels said there 
is about one priest here to every thirty of the inhab- 
itants, and that while some of them are rich, a great 
many are miserably poor and shockingly careless of 
their personal cleanliness, their under clothing being 
the color of mummy wrappings. He was stationed 
several months at Lucca, near Pisa, a town of twen- 
ty-one thousand inhabitants, one -tenth of whom 
he said were priests. There are three Roman Cath- 
olic seminaries there, and the preponderance of that 



VERONA. 217 



sect is so great in that town that they call it "Sa- 
cristel de Roma." Among the Waldenses he said 
there are a few men possessing property to the value 
of ten thousand dollars, and these are esteemed very 
rich; but that they are very miserly, and will try to 
split a soldo (one sou) to make two of it. A man 
with five cows, a few chestnuts, and a few walnuts 
is considered well off. Of the general morals of the 
Waldenses he spoke very favorably, stating that of 
the number incarcerated for crime they were only as 
one to sixty or seventy of the Roman Catholics. He 
appeared greatly encouraged by the spread of the 
Protestant faith in Italy, where, he said, there were 
already forty Protestant churches, embracing not 
less than three thousand Sunday School children. 
Besides this, there is one other small Protestant 
Mission in Verona. 

Turn we now to romance and ancient story : 

"Two households, both alike in dignity, 
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, 
From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny, 
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean." 

It seems like a dream to be here amid the scenes 
which must have been familiar to Romeo and Juliet, 
if indeed any such persons ever lived here. At 
any rate, we are assured that the play of "Romeo 
and Juliet " is founded on events which actually 
occurred here; and, without stopping to question 
the truth of the romance, we have paid a visit to 
the tomb which, for one franc, is shown as that 
of Juliet. It is in a rough garden entered from 
a dirty side street, and the forlorn looking Italian 
woman who let us in appeared as though she pitied 
us on account of our gullibility. A ragged boy ran 
ahead to show us the way to an old monastery, - 



218 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

not, we believe, now in use, connected with which 
is a decayed chapel, containing a rude sarcophagus 
.in red Verona marble, called Juliet's' tomb. Hang- 
ing on the wall over the sarcophagus was a wreath 
of faded flowers, all of which is shown by a photo- 
graph in our collection. The origin of the story 
of "Romeo and Juliet" is in doubt. Its material 
incidents, we are told by writers upon Shakspeare, 
are to be found in romances written before his time; 
but it was left to his genius to give them immortal- 
ity. "'Romeo and Juliet,'" says Schlegel, "is a pic- 
ture of love and its pitiful fate in a world whose 
atmosphere is too rough for this tenderest blossom 
of human life. Two beings, created for each other, 
feel mutual love at first glance. Every considera- 
tion disappears before the irresistible influence of 
living in one another; they join themselves secretly, 
under circumstances hostile in the highest degree to 
their union, relying merely on the protection of an 
invisible power. By unfriendly events following 
blow upon blow, their heroic constancy is exposed to 
all manner of trials, till, forcibly separated from 
each other, by a voluntary death they are united in 
the grave to meet again in another world." Thus 
much of these unhappy lovers. To acknowledge 
that no tears were shed by us at Juliet's tomb might 
indicate an unpardonable degree of hard - hearted- 
ness — 

" For never was a story of more woe 
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." 

On this point, therefore, we leave our readers in the 
dark. 

The founding of the city of Verona is assigned to 
the Gauls, but later the Romans held sway here. 
There is an amphitheater here in tolerable preserva- 



VERONA. 219 



tion, supposed to have been erected about the year 
284, under Diocletian. It is calculated that it would 
accommodate twenty- five thousand spectators seated 
and seventy thousand more standing. Its arcades 
are now occupied as traders' shops. 

The most imposing monuments here to individuals 
are the tombs of the Scaligers, or della Scala family, 
who, from 1262 to 1389, were Presidents of the Re- 
public of Verona; and a full-length marble statue of 
Dante on a lofty pedestal. Dante is represented in 
a long robe coming to his feet and closely buttoned 
over his chest, with a long cloak fastened closely 
around the neck — the left side hanging gracefully 
over his arm, while with his left hand, in which he 
also holds a half -closed book, the other side is raised 
in folds to his right elbow. On his head is a kind of 
skull-cap. Resting his right elbow on his left hand 
and the forefinger of his right hand against his chin, 
he appears in the attitude of listening or of medita- 
tion. His expression is stern and forbidding. This 
statue stands in the center of the Piazza del Signori, 
so called from its having been the place of residence 
of the Scaligers. We wish it were in our power to 
describe the tombs of the Scaligers. They consist of 
a number of Gothic structures situated in front of 
the little Church of Santa Maria V Antica, and are 
very striking in their appearance. The ladder which 
forms the crest of the family "recurs frequently on 
the elaborately executed railings. The largest of 
these monuments is that of Can Signorio. It con- 
sists of a sarcophagus resting on a pedestal sup- 
ported by columns of moderate height, over which 
rises a canopy crowned with an equestrian statue of 
the Prince. On the square column in the middle are 
six Christian Heroes; in niches higher up are the 



220 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Christian Virtues." Another sarcophagus also with 
a canopy and equestrian statue is that of Mastino 
III. Between these two principal monuments are 
four large sarcophagi, the first three dating from 
1311. The last is that of Can Grande II., who was 
assassinated in the public streets by his brother, Can 
Signorio, in 1359. Over the church door are the 
sarcophagus and equestrian statue of Can Grande, 
Francesco della Scala; and adjoining it, on the wall 
of the church, those of Giovanni della Scala and 
Mastino I. 

The two distinguished scholars, Julius Caesar and 
his son, Joseph Justus Scaliger, claimed to be de- 
scendants of this famous Scala family. The father 
was born at Padua in 1484, and died at Agen, France, 
1558. He was a doctor of medicine and philosopher, 
and was remarkable for his prodigious memory. 
Joseph (born at Agen, 1540, died in Leyden, 1609) 
was acquainted with all the languages, ancient and 
modern, and with the idioms of the East as well as 
of the West. His contemporaries called him "an 
abyss of erudition," "the ocean of sciences," "the 
last effort of Nature." His letters are spoken of as 
a veritable treasure. Hallam pronounced him and 
Isaac Casaubon "the two greatest scholars of the 
sixteenth century," and Mebuhr says of him that he 
"stood on the summit of universal solid philological 
learning in a degree that none have reached since." 
Whether descendants of the old lords of Verona or 
not, the names of Julius and Joseph Scaliger are 
handed down to us inscribed high on the scroll of 
scholastic history. 

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Matricolare is the 
most imposing of the churches. It dates back to the 
time of Charlemagne. Though bearing the marks 



VERONA. 221 



of age, some portions of it are still beautiful. Among 
the paintings is an "Assumption," by Titian; and of 
the monuments, one to the poet De Cesuris and one 
to Pope Lucius III., who was buried here when he 
died in 1185. There are several other fine churches 
here, but we did not take time to visit them all. 
Portions of the old walls and some of the old gate- 
ways of the city still stand as interesting relics of 
the old times; and we can go in no street or square 
here that we do not see more or less to attract our 
special attention. The river Adige, spanned by sev- 
eral fine bridges, runs rapidly through the city, the 
streets of which are liable to be sometimes over- 
flowed by the rushing floods from the Alps, which 
now loom up near us covered with snow. 



222 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

' 'There is a glorious city in the sea, 
The sea is in the broad, the narrow streets, 
Ebbing and flowing ; and the salt sea- weed 
Clings to the marble of her palaces. 
No track of men, no footsteps to and fro, 
Lead to her gates. The path lies o'er the sea, 
Invisible ; and from the land we went, 
As to a floating city — steering in, 
And gliding up her streets as in a dream, 
So smoothly, silently — by many a dome, 
' Mosque-like, and many a stately portico, 
The statues ranged along an azure sky; 
By many a pile in more than Eastern pride, 
Of all the evidence of merchant kings; 
The fronts of some, though Time had shattered them, 
Still glowing with the richest hues of art, 
As though the wealth within them had run o'er." 

>HIS IS VENICE; but when Rogers wrote this 
description the city was not approached by a 
railway. Now, on the western side, one of the main 
small islands of the city is connected with the main- 
land by the railroad from Padua and Verona — the 
distance from the shore about twcvmiles by a bridge 
built on over two hundred arches across the lagoons 
which surround the city on all sides. We were 
safely landed on this little island at half past three 
on the afternoon of the 8th of November, having 
come in about four hours from Verona, our last 
stopping place. Officers of the customs were on 
hand to make the least possible examination of our 
luggage, and other officials in uniform handed us 
tickets for whichever conveyance — gondola or om- 
nibus boat — we might choose to convey us to our 
hotel. Being a party of five, we chose an omnibus, 



VENICE. 223 



which, although built in the same form, is consid- 
erably larger than the gondola, and has a more 
spacious cabin at the stern. For a charge of one 
and a half lira (thirty cents) each, we were rowed 
with our light luggage along the Grand Canal and 
through the narrow winding streets for half an -hour 
or more to the Victoria Hotel, where we concluded to 
stop. As in the case of all buildings here rising 
up from the sea, the steps of the hotel extend into 
the water, and we disembarked upon them directly 
from the boat. Along some portions of the Grand 
Canal, which winds through the city, there is a 
quay of good width, mostly, we understand, of mod- 
ern date; and this is a great improvement, inasmuch 
as it serves not only as a protection to the buildings, 
which everywhere have a rusty appearance from 
the action of the salt water upon them, but it also 
affords an agreeable promenade. 

Mr. Rogers' description of the city as he saw it 
is true to life. An American traveler calling on 
him in London, in 1852, three years before his death, 
took occasion, in the course of their conversation, 
to say that Mr. Rogers' volume of poems had been 
his constant companion in his travels, when the 
latter at once spoke of his residence on the continent 
with Lord Byron, and quoted part of his own lines 
on Venice. "Byron," said he, "repeated them to 
me one morning as we sailed up the Grand Canal, 
telling me they were very fine, and written, he be- 
lieved, by Southey, forgetting that the real author 
was by his side." 

The city is compact, and the land streets, lanes, 
and alleys are so narrow, generally not over four 
or five feet in width, while many are much nar- 
rower; and the one hundred and forty- seven canals, 



224 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

only v/ide enough usually to allow gondolas to pass 
one another, are likewise so confined that one here 
feels as though he were in a wilderness. Madame 
de Stael made this observation: "A sentiment of 
sadness seizes the imagination on entering the city. 
You take leave of vegetation — not even a fly is to 
be seen; all animals are banished, and man alone 
remains to struggle against the sea. Silence is pro- 
found in this place, whose streets are canals, and 
the noise of the oars is the only interruption to this 
silence. It is not the country, since not a tree is to 
be seen here; it is not a city, since one hears here not 
the least movement; it is not even a vessel, since one 
advances not." She adds: "You find persons here 
who have never been from one quarter of the city 
to another, who have never seen St. Mark's square, 
and to whom the sight of a horse would be a verita- 
ble marvel. These black gondolas, which glide upon 
the canals, resemble coffins or cradles — the last and 
first habitation of man. In the evening one sees 
only the reflection of the lanterns in the gondolas, 
whose black color prevents their being descried. 
One might say that these were shadows gliding in 
the water guided by a small star." We have trans- 
lated these remarks from a French volume of "Co- 
rinne " before us, because they give, in the main, a 
vivid description of this wonderful "city in the sea" 
as it struck us on the occasion of our present visit, 
and as it appeared to the writer when here for a day 
in 1867. We are not able, however, either to con- 
firm or deny the statement that there were no flies 
in Venice, although we can conceive of no good 
reason why they should not exist there, as well as in 
any other city. As regards horses, it is doubtless 
true that none were seen there in Madame de Stael's 



VENICE. 225 



time, as the number now there does not exceed a 
dozen, and these are kept on a small island laid out 
as a riding park, which we visited, at the extreme 
eastern end of the city. In this park there are clus- 
ters of trees, and there may be seen here and there 
one in the city; but generally one beholds only a 
wilderness of houses closely packed. One may walk 
over the three hundred and seventy- eight bridges to 
almost any part of the city; but to a stranger, as 
we have observed before, it is like being in a maze, 
so numerous and irregular are the streets and lanes, 
many of which are arched ways under the second 
stories of houses, and only just wide enough for two 
to pass. By "spotting" corner shops and sign- 
boards we soon learned the way to Piazzo San Mar- 
co, the great central point of the city. It is in form 
oblong, about five hundred and seventy- five by one 
hundred and eighty- five feet, w4th an open space, 
called the Piazzetta, (little square,) leading to the 
quay on the east side. The celebrated Church of St. 
Mark faces the eastern end of the square, and next 
to it stands the Pala.ce of the Doges, facing the same 
way and extending along the Piazzetta to the quay, 
presenting also a beautiful front toward the sea. 
Here, on either side of the Piazzetta, is a splendid 
granite column — one bearing the "Winged Lion of 
St. Mark, the emblem of the tutelary Saint of Venice, 
the other surmounted by St. Theodore on a crocodile, 
the patron of the ancient Republic, placed there in 
1326." The gondoliers have their headquarters here. 
Nearly opposite to St. Mark's is the campanile of 
that Church, a square tower three hundred and 
twenty- two feet in height, and affording a magnifi- 
cent view of the city, country, and Adriatic sea for 
many miles around. This tower is probably one of 
15 



226 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the easiest of ascent of any in Europe, the way up 
being by an inclined plane rising by one step at each 
corner. The bell man at the summit, provided with 
a telescope, keeps constant watch, and in case of 
fire gives instant alarm by telegraph or by ringing 
the bell. While we were there the band, which 
performs here several times a week in the daytime 
as well as on specified evenings, was discoursing 
sweet music in the square below. Opposite the 
campanile is the clock tower, on the platform of 
which are two bronze figures in the shape of men, 
which strike the hours on a bell, as though animated 
by life; and by means of revolving machinery and 
transparencies the time both of day and night is 
always apparent on the face of the clock. 

The Church of St. Mark dates back eight hundred 
years. Its form .-" is that of a Greek cross, with 
equal arms, covered by a Byzantine dome in the 
center and one at the extremity of each arm." Over 
the vestibule are smaller domes, and ^externally 
and internally the Church is adorned with five hun- 
dred columns of marble, the capitals of which pre- 
sent an exuberant variety of styles." The vaulting 
is of marble mosaics on a gold ground, and the 
floors, which have become very uneven, are of tes- 
selated marble. They were being repaired when we 
were there. Over the main entrance are the four 
celebrated horses in gilded bronze, supposed to have 
been constructed in the time of Nero. "Constan- 
tine caused them to be conveyed to Constantinople, 
whence the Doge Dandolo brought them to Venice 
in 1204. In 1797 they were carried by Napoleon to 
Paris, where they afterward occupied the summit of 
the Triumphal Arch in the Place de Carousel." In 
1815 they were restored to their former position by 



VENICE. 227 



the Emperor Francis. The Church contains a large 
number of statues, both in marble and bronze, of 
noted persons, and other monuments, as well as 
relics, including a crystal vase with the " Blood of 
the Saviour;" a silver column, with a fragment of 
the "True Cross," and a cup of agate,, with portions 
of the "Skull of St. John." 

We visited several other churches, in all of which 
there are many things to interest the traveler. In 
none were the attractions greater than in the Church 
of the Franciscans, built in the thirteenth century, 
and which is one of the largest and most beautiful 
in the city. It contains many paintings, sculptures, 
and monuments — among the latter a fine monument 
to Titian and one to Canova, of which, as well as of 
the Church, interior and exterior, we have photo- 
graphs. 




CHAPTER XXXVI. 

^MSENICE, November 12. — We have now been 
^Yfcf here about four days, and have seen the prin- 
cipal objects of interest in the city, which is between 
seven and eight miles in circumference. Of the 
three hundred and seventy- eight bridges here, nearly 
all are quite narrow and are reached by steps, ren- 
dered necessary to allow the gondolas to pass under 
them. Three of the bridges only span the Grand 
Canal. Two of these are of iron, and the third, 
the famous Bialto, is of marble, built in 1588 -'91 
by Antonio da Ponte. This "is called after the 
largest island (isola del Rialto, from il vivo alto. 



228 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the deep stream.)" Entered by flights of steps from 
a small open square at either end, it has three pas- 
sages, along which are rows of shops, and in rainy 
weather there is a busy provision market in gondolas 
under it. It looks beautiful at all times, but espe- 
cially at night, as we saw it one evening when we 
went out to get a view of "Venice by moonlight" 
and to hear the lively singing of the gondoliers. 
These gondoliers are an institution in themselves; 
but they are governed by strict laws. The charge 
for a single trip, or for not exceeding one hour in 
the common gondola, accommodating two or three 
passengers, with one rower, is one franc, and five 
sous for each additional hour; in addition to which 
the gondolier expects a small fee pour boire. For 
five francs • one can have a gondola and rower for 
the whole day. The number of gondolas here is not 
far from four thousand, all painted black, in obe- 
dience to an ancient law, to guard against extrava- 
gance. The gondoliers are very expert in their 
vocation; and it requires a good deal of skill on 
their part to avoid collisions. When about to turn 
a corner they cry out — "Gfia e" (boat ahead,) "Pre- 
me" (pass to the right,) "Stall" (pass to the left;) 
and these, or similar warnings, are about all you 
hear from them, unless you ask them questions; 
nor do they make scarcely any noise with their 
oars. In gliding along through the narrow canals, 
the people being shut up in their dwellings, the 
silence is usually as profound as it would be were 
you being rowed on a river or lake through a dense 
forest. To one first making such an excursion it is, 
indeed, a novel experience. 

Yesterday, when we were in a gondola on the* 
Grand Canal, we came to a point where there was 



VENICE. 229 



a funeral, the gondolier said, of an English gen- 
tleman who died at the hotel where the ceremonies 
were being performed. In front of the hotel there 
was one handsomely ornamented gondola, with an 
ornamented hearse, and some twenty or more com- 
mon gondolas, arranged several abreast in four or 
five platoons. Some of the attendants were in uni- 
form, and the gondoliers were dressed in their best. 
We did not wait to see the procession start. The 
Venetian cemetery is on the small island of Murano, 
a little north of the city. 

We stopped at a glass factory, and were kindly 
shown through all the workshops as well as the 
rooms in which the various articles made here are 
stored when finished. Here glass mosaics of almost 
every description are manufactured, embracing neck- 
laces, pendants, bracelets, brooches, table leaves, etc., 
and all kinds of fancy articles, wine glasses, beads, 
and we know not what else. 

We have passed many hours in the Palace of 
the Doges and the Academy of Fine Arts, where 
we saw an endless number of pictures, statues, rare 
books, old manuscripts, old coins, and other won- 
derful things impossible to enumerate. Among the 
pictures seen in the Academy are "The Assump- 
tion," by Titian, famous everywhere; and "The 
Entombment," also by Titian, and on which he was 
engaged, but had not entirely finished, at the time 
of his death (1576,) in the ninety- eighth year of 
his age. On the frieze of the Palace are the por- 
traits of seventy- six Doges, and on the walls twenty- 
one pictures "painted to commemorate the achieve- 
ments of the Republic, especially against Frederick 
Barbarosa." At the head of the Giants' Staircase 
we stood on the spot where the Doges used to be 



230 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




COURT OF THE PALACE OF THE DOGES. 



crowned. This staircase, erected in 1482, is a beau- 
tiful structure. In one of the rooms is Tintoretto's 
"Paradise," in size eighty- four by thirty- three feet 
six inches, said to be the largest oil painting in 
the world. There are several rooms devoted to 
painting and sculpture. Among the more noted 
paintings are "The Last Judgment," by Giovane; 
"Forest Landscape," by Paul Veronese; and "Christ 
in Glory," also by the last named artist. Of the 
sculptures in marble, "Apollo Keposing," "Gaul in 



VENICE. ^31 



his Last Desperate Struggle," "Gaul Sinking from 
Exhaustion," "Dead Gaul Lying over Ins Shield, 
are regarded as among the most meritorious. There 
is a curious old map of the world here, the work 
of Fra Mauro, a Camaldulensian monk, in 1459. 
In an upper room, called the Sala della Bussola, 
"once the ante -chamber of the three Inquisitors 
of the Republic," there is an opening in the wall, 
•'formerly decorated -by a lion's head in marble, 
into the mouth of which documents containing secret 
information used to be thrown." The library is 
remarkable for age and valuable historically. One 
of the books, kept in a private apartment and shown 
specially, is well worth seeing. It is called "The 
Golden Book," in which the names of the nobih were 
entered, and contains among many other beautiful 
pictures twelve representing the months of the year. 
Its form is large octavo or small quarto, and it is six 
or eight inches thick. The text, beautifully written 
in Greek or Hebrew, is illuminated with gold on 
each page, all, like the pictures, done by hand -the 
work we understood, of monks. We were con- 
ducted across the Bridge of Sighs, over which so 
many unfortunates have passed to their death; but 
there being persons in the prison, which is still used 
for convicts, the door on the prison side is kept 
locked, and we were not admitted. With Byron we 
could each say: 

« I stood in Venice on the Bridge of Sighs; 
A palace and a prison on each hand." 

This bridge extends to the prison from the second 
story of the Palace, and is lighted by two or more 
square grated windows. In the ground or under- 
ground story of the Palace there are dungeons — one 



232 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



for political and the other for brigand prisoners — and 
these we were allowed to examine, being conducted 
into them by the custodian, who carried a torch or 
lamp to light the way. The first had a raised wood- 
en floor for a bed and the second only a flat stone 
two or three inches above the cold stone floor of the 
dungeon. There are holes in the wall through which 
the food was passed to the prisoners, who were kept 
always in total darkness— the attendant waiting 
upon them without a light. Near the dungeons are 
places for confession, and by a grated window near 
by, a narrow stall where those condemned to death 
were beheaded. In the floor at the end of this small 
space are holes, which we saw, through which the 
blood of the slain ran into the water below, and 
their bodies w ere taken into gondolas and buried in 
the sea. We also saw where the machinery was 
fastened for the strangulation of prisoners sentenced 
to that mode of taking leave of this world. 

There is a spacious area formed by one side of St. 
Mark's and three inner walls of the Doges' Palace; 
and within this are two wells with bronze curbs 
breast high. From the number of men and women 
— many more of the latter than the former— who 
come here for water, one might suppose the whole 
city is supplied from this source. These poor crea- 
tures come with two heavy copper buckets, holding 
eight or ten quarts each, hooked upon a flat hooped 
stick resting on one shoulder, and with a rope ten 
or fifteen feet in length and a hook at one end, 
with which to lower the bucket and draw it up by 
hand. Every one has his or her cord, which is kept 
ever in hand, and each well is large enough in cir- 
cumference to allow ten or a dozen persons to draw 
water at one and the same time. Deep grooves are 



VENICE. 233 



worn in the bronze curbing by these ropes. These 
water-carriers are very expert at their business; and 
we stood for some time admiring the manner of 
filling their buckets. On being lowered, the bucket, 
by sudden jerks, was set to tilting so that on touch- 
ing the water it was instantly filled. We wonder 
if Rachel drew water in this way? 

After all, one of the most charming sights of 
Venice is the hundreds of tame doves that are fed 
every day in the Piazza San Marco — some accounts 
say at; the expense of the city, and others that "an 
old lady, widowed and childless, left a large amount 
to be expended for this purpose, she having been 
much interested in their welfare during her life." 
Baedeker says that "according to tradition, Admiral 
Dandolo, while besieging Candia at the beginning 
of the thirteenth century, received intelligence from 
the island by means of carrier pigeons, which greatly 
facilitated its conquest. He then dispatched the 
birds to Venice with the news of his success, and 
siiTce that time their descendants have been care- 
fully tended and highly revered by the citizens. 
They nestle in the nooks and crannies of the sur- 
rounding buildings, and are generally seen in great 
numbers in the evening perched on the fagade of 
St. Mark's." But whether fed by the city or not, 
they are not likely to go hungry, for we have never 
been in the Piazza that we have not observed several 
tourists who, like ourselves, bought corn and fed 
them for the pleasure of it. Any number of Italian 
boys stand ready with their cornucopias of grain 
for sale; but, as a matter of economy and not to 
be restricted, we usually filled our pockets at some 
grocery store on our way to the square, which is 
the great place of resort for all Venice. The moment 



234 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

the doves saw we were provided they would flock 
by hundreds around us, and fly up and eat from 
our hands; sometimes as many as six or eight rest- 
ing* on our hands, wrists, and arms at the same 
time, all eager for their repast. They appeared 
to like our holding them by the toes, as they found 
it difficult to balance themselves when others were 
alighting on their backs or necks. We caught one 
for a moment, but she got away and flew off, evi- 
dently indignant at our ill manners. We felt guilty. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



JjlE^LORENCE, November 15.— We came here by 



AyS& way of Padua, Ferrara, and Bologna. We did 
not stop at Padua, but we had a view of the town 
from the railroad station. It has much the look of 
Verona, and, like that city and Mantua, on the road 
to Modena, it has been made famous by Shakspeare. 
During the reign of Augustus it is said to have been 
the wealthiest town in Upper Italy. "From the 
middle ages down to the present day Padua has 
been celebrated for its University, which was found- 
ed by Frederick II. in 1238. The town, a quiet place 
of fifty- one thousand inhabitants, occupies an exten- 
sive area. Its narrow streets and arcades are inter- 
spersed with spacious gardens." Ferrara is a very 
old town, in which Ariosto and Tasso flourished, to 
the former of whom, in one of the public squares, 
there is a high monumental column surmounted by 
his statue. It was the birthplace of Girolamo Sa- 
vonarola, and Titian also resided here for a time. 



FERRARA. 235 



Near one of the churches we saw a number of very 
beautiful marble monuments and statues, mostly 
modern, among which is one erected in 1872 by a 
Mr. Hardcastle, of Boston, to the memory of Alfred 
Lowell Putnam, a Bostonian, who died there on the 
2d of October, 1855. We do not remember to have 
heard of him before, but he was probably an artist 
or scholar. For several centuries prior to 1600, 
when the family became extinct, this city was gov- 
erned by the house of Este. Roscoe, in his "Life of 
Leo X.," relates of this family a story, the interest 
and brevity of which will justify its repetition here. 
He writes that in the early part of the year 1505 died 
Ercole of Este, Duke of Ferrara, after having gov- 
erned his States with great credit, both in war and 
peace, during thirty- four years. His son, Alfonso 
I., husband of the infamous Lucretia Borgia, suc- 
ceeded him. The reign of Alfonso I., Roscoe ob- 
serves, was marked by a most tragical event, which 
endangered his safety and destroyed or interrupted 
his domestic tranquillity. Besides his two sons, Al- 
fonso and Ippolito, the younger of whom, Ippolito, 
had been raised to the dignity of a Cardinal, the late 
Duke had left by his wife Leonora a son named 
Ferdinand, and by a favorite mistress an illegitimate 
son called Don Giulio. Attracted by the beauty of a 
lady of Ferrara, to whom they were distantly rela- 
ted, the Cardinal and Don Giulio became rivals in 
her affections; but the latter had obtained the pref- 
erence, and the lady herself, in confessing to Ippo- 
lito her partiality to his brother, dwelt with apparent 
pleasure on the extraordinary beauty of his eyes. 
The exasperated ecclesiastic silently vowed revenge, 
and availing himself of an opportunity, while he 
was engaged with Don Giulio in the chase, he sur- 



236 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

rounded him with a band of assassins, and, compel- 
ling him to dismount, with a diabolical pleasure saw 
them deprive him of the organs of sight. The mod- 
eration or negligence of Alfonso in suffering this 
atrocious deed to remain unpunished excited the 
resentment not only of Don Giulio, but of his brother 
Ferdinand, who, uniting together, endeavored by 
secret treachery to deprive Alfonso at once of his 
honors and his life. Their purposes were discovered, 
and after having confessed their crime they were 
both condemned to die. The fraternal kindness of 
Alfonso was not, however, wholly extinguished, and 
at the moment when the axe was suspended over 
them he transmuted their punishment to that of 
perpetual imprisonment. In this state Ferdinand 
remained until the time of his death in 1540, while 
Giulio, at the expiration of fifty- four years of cap- 
tivity, was once more restored to liberty. 

Bologna is a fine city with irregular streets and 
long arcades, but the display of shops is not as 
fine as we have seen in many other cities. As 
usual, we started out for some of the churches, and 
went into one building called the "Seven Churches," 
a series of small places of worship, and one large 
Cathedral, adorned with pictures and statuary. In 
the latter is a recess in the wall, with iron railings 
in front, and in it a reclining figure representing 
the body of Christ. There were wreaths of flowers 
on and near this statue and lighted candles or tapers 
before it. Of course it is intended to represent 
Christ in the sepulchre. In front is a Prie Dieu, 
provided with stationary forms of prayer in large 
print, which some forlorn - looking persons were re- 
peating with eyes devoutly fixed on the sepulchre. 
Some of the paintings, one in particular — "A Ma- 



A FRIGHT ON THE TRAIN. 237 

donna" — in this Cathedral are very fine. The spa- 
cious square on which this church stands is used for 
a market place. It was crowded with sellers and 
purchasers, the former crying their commodities in 
all sorts of ways, and making a noise, as it struck 
our ears a little way off, like the sound of rushing 
waters. 'A great many of the Italians we see are 
wretchedly clothed, and look as though their blood 
had all been drawn from' their veins. 

On our way from Bologna our party had for com- 
pany in our compartment only a Flemish gentleman 
and his wife and an elegant Italian lady and her 
little daughter Ada, a sweet child about five years 
old. This lady could speak no language but her 
own, nor could any of us either speak or understand 
more than a few words of Italian. For several 
hours Ada afforded us all a good deal of pleasure, as 
she would sit in our laps, singing songs to us, and, 
in her own tongue, make her remarks on whatever 
struck her attention. Her mother gave her to eat, 
first, a handful of boiled chestnuts, which are a 
great article of food here, especially among the 
poorer classes, then some grapes, and finally some 
chocolate candy. About an hour before reaching 
Pistoria, her stopping place, all at once Ada com- 
menced crying and rolling up her eyes, and soon to 
vomit, when her mother, thinking she was throwing 
up blood, became so distracted that she had to be 
restrained to keep her from springing, child in arms, 
out of the window. She had given Ada a slate 
pencil, and as it could not be found she thought the 
child had swallowed a piece of it, and cried in an 
excruciating manner that she was dying. All the 
light we had was shed by a small oil lamp overhead, 
there was no means of giving the alarm to stop the 



238 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




FLORENCE. 



FLOKENCE. 239 



train, even if it had been of any use to do so, and we 
were driving along one half the time in tunnels — 
there are forty- five of them between Bologna and 
Florence — no dwelling near, nor could we get liquid 
of any kind to give the child. It is needless to say 
that we were all not a little concerned, both for Ada 
and her mother, for it was plain the child was very 
ill, her pulse being so low that the Flemish gentle- 
man, who held her in his lap, said he could not feel 
it beat. She lay as if in a stupor; but having sat- 
isfied ourselves that what she had thrown up was 
not blood but chocolate, and having found the pencil 
her mother had given her to play with, our fears 
were somewhat allayed. At length we came to a 
station where the train stopped, and the lady with 
her child changed her seat to another compartment 
that she might be in company with some of her own 
country people. With us she was indeed a stranger 
in her own land; and had she been traveling in a 
country where not a word of her own language was 
spoken qy understood, she could hardly have been 
more helpless. Before leaving, Ada began to revive 
a little, and when we reached Pistoria her mother 
came, much to our relief, and reported her out of 
danger, expressing many grazias for our sympathy 
and efforts to assist her in her trouble. 

Florence is most beautifully situated. To-day, 
pioneered by Rev. Mr. Merriman, President of Ripon 
College, who had preceded us here, we took a pleas- 
ant walk to San Miniato, an elevated part of the 
city on the south side of the Arno, a fine plateau, in 
the center of which is the new monument of Michael 
Angelo, which was unveiled with great pomp and 
ceremony a few weeks before our arrival. The 
central figure is a colossal statue of his "David" in 



240 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

bronze, below which, at the four corners, are copies, 
also in bronze, of four others of his celebrated statues 
— "Day" and "Mght," "Morning" and "Evening" 
— all elevated on an elaborate base of granite or mar- 
ble. A short distance beyond this monument and 
higher up is a National Observatory, near which 
stands the observatory or tower from which Galileo 
made his astronomical observations. On our way 
back to our hotel, on the north side of the river, we 
passed through one of the old gate ways of the city, 
several of which, as well as portions of the old city 
wall, remain as grim monuments of ages far back in 
the past. Just before coming to the river we found 
ourselves in front of the house in which Elizabeth 
Barrett Browning lived and died. It is one of a 
continuous block, and over the main doorway, in 
Italian, is an inscription showing it to have been her 
residence. 

Just after twilight last evening we heard from our 
sitting room singing or chanting in the street, and 
looking to see the occasion of it, a sight so novel met 
our eyes that the writer seized his hat and ran into 
the street to obtain a better view of what was pass- 
ing. It was a funeral procession, and a few minutes 
brought him to the head of it. All were on foot. 
First, three men in masks supporting a high banner 
surmounted by a cross; next, two lads in white 
frocks; then, in double file, some sixteen priests in 
long white robes and broad -brimmed chapeaux, 
chanting the litany; next, the coffin, covered with a 
pall and borne by four men in close masks, three 
pall -bearers on either side and two in the rear, also 
wearing masks; and these were followed by one 
hundred men, more or less, in citizens' dress, all, 
except those who bore the coffin and the standard- 



FLORENCE. 241 



bearer, carrying torches. This singular mode of 
burial, it seems, dates back to the year 1240, the 
date of the origin of the Society of the Misericordia, 
to which these masked members belong. 



CHAPTEE XXXVIII. 

J^LORENCE, November, 16.— We spent, this fore- 
Ay§& noon in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, 
which was completed in 1470, and "from the ele- 
gance of its form and proportions" Michael Angelo 
called it La Sposa, the bride. It contains many 
very striking fresco paintings, representing "Heav- 
en," "Hell," "The Last Judgment," etc., and there 
are also some old and some modern paintings on 
canvas, possessing much merit. In the painting of 
"The Last Judgment," which is some twenty feet 
square, various modes of punishment and torment 
are depicted — some poor creatures being in a lake 
of fire, only their lower limbs visible, showing that 
they were plunged head foremost into the seething 
lake; others in the most terrible outer darkness of 
despair, we cannot tell in how many forms; but 
the kind of sins for which each group was suffering- 
was set down in words. The arch fiend himself, 
or his executioner, in the form of a raging lion, 
appeared in the midst of the largest group, and as 
he had the head and shoulders of Judas in his 
mouth, the inference was that all were to be thus 
devoured. So far as Judas was concerned, no one 
seemed to have any sympathy for him. 

In the afternoon we visited the studios, all near 

16 



242 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



together, of Powers, Ball, and Fuller, the latter of 
whom died a year or two ago. The two brothers, 
sons of the late Hiram Powers, have their studio in 
the same place where the writer saw their father in 
1867. The elder brother has just completed a beau- 
tiful bust of a maiden, giving it the name "Star of 
Bethlehem," and the younger is engaged on a bust 
of General Grant. Whether either son will ever be- 
come as famous as their father, time will tell. They 
evidently possess a good deal of artistic talent. 
They continue to multiply, as they find sale there- 
for, the more popular statues and busts modeled by 
Hiram Powers; for instance, those of "Washington," 
"Franklin," "Eve," "The Greek Slave," "Faith," 
"The Fisher Boy," "Genevra," "America," "Di- 
ana," "Charity," "Proserpine," "Clytie," "Hope," 
and others. We were highly gratified with a view 
of all these works of art. We were equally well 
pleased with the works exhibited in Ball's studio, 
where we were happy to meet his young and prom- 
ising pupil, Daniel French, who has already made 
his mark by his statue of "The Minute Man," lately 
erected in Concord, Massachusetts — a work regarded 
by the best judges as possessing great merit. We 
were delighted with Ball's "L' Allegro" and "II 
Penseroso," two revolving busts, with children's fa- 
ces, a joy to behold; and his statue (full size) of "St. 
John" is one of the grandest we have anywhere 
seen. It represents the Apostle as standing with 
eyes raised toward heaven — in his right hand a pen 
and in his left a book — as if listening to the words: 
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, 
write, Blessed are the dead which die in the. Lord 
from henceforth." The statue in which we were 
more interested, perhaps, was one of Lincoln and 



FLORENCE. 243 



the half - kneeling freedman at his feet, his chains 
broken and eyes fixed in wonder on the land of 
liberty. Leaning on a pedestal, Lincoln holds his 
Emancipation Proclamation in his right hand, and 
is imagined as saying, "And upon this act I invoke 
the considerate judgment of mankind and the gra- 
cious favor of Almighty God." The likeness is ex- 
cellent. A colossal statue after this model has just 
been cast in bronze, in Munich, where ye saw parts 
of it at the foundry there, and it is to be erected in 
Washington City. It cannot fail to be admired. 
Fuller has left many meritorious works, the most 
striking of which, perhaps, that we saw is a reclin- 
ing statue of a mother and infant, illustrative of a 
passage in Moore's Lalla Rookh — "Paradise and tho. 
Peri:" 

" My child she is but half divine, 
Her father sleeps in the Caspian water. 

Sea weeds twine 

His funeral shrine, 
But he lives again in the Peri's daughter. 
Fain would I fly from mortal sight 
To my own sweet bowers of Peristan; 
But there the flowers are all too bright 
For the eyes of a baby born of man. 
On flowers of earth her feet must tread, 
So hither my light - winged bark hath brought her. 

Stranger, spread 

Thy leafliest bed 
To rest the wandering Peri's daughter." 

The mother, the child on her breast, reclines in a 
fairy " light -winged bark," with a graceful swan for 
its figure-head. Another beautiful statue is that of 
"Little Nell," and one of "Blind Lydia," the Pom- 
peian damsel, is also touchingly striking. We have 
called once at Gould's studio, where we were much 



244 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

pleased with what is, perhaps, his masterpiece, a 
charming figure of a ' maiden, styled the "West 
Wind," the light drapery of which has the appear- 
ance of being pressed closely around and back of the 
form by a strong current of air. 

The Pitti Palace, aside from its Picture Galleries, 
is a magnificent edifice. It was the residence of the 
King when the seat of government was in Florence. 
The rooms, some twenty or more, which we saw, 
and their furniture are very fine, and in some of 
these rooms there are a considerable number of ex- 
cellent paintings, one of which, in size eight by 
fifteen feet, represents in a vivid manner "The Bat- 
tle of St. Martins." There are here four or five 
ebony secretaries richly inlaid with lapis lazuli and 
other precious stones, and many tables inlaid in the 
same manner, all surprisingly beautiful. A writing 
table of modern make commanded our admiration 
on account of its ingenious construction. Its shape 
is oval and its size that of a common center -table, 
say three feet and a half long. The guide unlocked 
what we supposed to be a drawer, but which proved 
to be the back of a comfortable chair, the withdrawal 
of which caused the leaf of the table to separate in 
the middle, presenting a complete writing table, 
readily adjusted to the proper inclination, with all 
the necessary compartments of a writing desk. On 
either side of the seat were drawers, and altogether 
we thought it the most complete escritoir we had 
ever seen. Moreover, it is a card table as well. 

One day we visited the Museum of Natural His- ■ 
tory, where we saw two telescopes and other astro- 
nomical instruments used by Galileo, and at the 
same place one of his fingers, which had been pre- 
served in alcohol and kept in a glass vessel. It was 



FLORENCE. 245 



so shrunken that one would not have taken it for 
a finger, nor do we understand what the object 
could be in preserving it, unless to show that "the 
earth moves" — backward. It is anything but a 
pleasant sight. Not more disagreeable though than 
any number of wax forms we saw here, showing 
the construction of man, beast, bird, and fish in all 
their minutest details. The horrible sights in the 
Medical Museum at Washington fall far short of 
what is to be seen here. The collection of stuffed 
skins of animals, birds, and various other creatures 
is very good. 

We have been to the Protestant Cemetery, which 
is on the eastern edge of the city, to see the graves 
of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Theodore Parker, 
and Hiram Powers, whose remains lie buried here. 
It occupies an elevated spot, one acre or more in 
extent, and is enclosed by a high iron railing. It is 
adorned by rows of yew and other trees, shrubbery 
and flowers, and commands a charming view of the 
hills of Fiesole and vicinity. Inside, near the gate- 
way, is a small building, occupied by the attendant, 
who opened the gate for us. There is a gravel walk 
from the gate through the center of the grounds to 
the top of the hill, and Mrs. Browning's tomb fronts 
the left side of this walk near the center. Her mon- 
ument is of white marble, the upper and more elabo- 
rate part, somewhat in the form of a sarcophagus, 
resting on six small marble pillars. On the front is 
her profile in has -relief, under which, on the left, 
are the letters "E*B*B*," and on the right "OB* 
1861*." This is all we could see as indicating for 
whom the monument was erected. There are other 
carvings of an appropriate character, representing 
the lyre, harp, flowers, etc. Gathering clover leaves 



246 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and two or three wild flowers growing near her 
tomb, we passed on to find the grave of Theodore 
Parker, which is a few steps beyond on the side hill 
at the right. It is indicated by a plain head and 
foot -stone of granite or gray sandstone, and bears 
the simple inscription: "Theodore Parker. Born at 
Lexington, Massachusetts, United States of America, 
August 24, 1810: Died at Florence, May 10, 1860." 
Over the grave of Hiram Powers — born July, 1805; 
died June, 1873 — is a raised white marble slab, bear- 
ing his name and date of birth and death. His 
grave is on the same side of the main walk with 
Mrs. Browning's, but higher up and further toward 
the west. The most prominent monument here is 
one to the memory of "Frederick Guillaume, Roi de 
Prusse, MDCCCLVIL" It is a shaft of white mar- 
ble, twenty feet high, surmounted by a marble cross, 
the base being of granite. Under his name is the 
following: " Je suis la ressurrection et la vie. Celui 
qui croit en moi vivra quand meme il seroit mort. — 
St. Jean, xi., 25." There is a beautiful monument 
here, also, to the memory of Samuel Reginald Routh, 
of Farleigh, England, who died at Florence, June 
21, 1860, in the forty- seventh year of his age. The 
inscription states that it was "erected by those who 
loved him living, who mourn him dead, and who 
hope through the mercy of God to rejoin him in 
heaven." "For in Thee, O Lord, do I hope: Thou 
wilt hear, O Lord my God. — Psalms, 38, 15." This 
monument is also of marble — a square base, six feet 
in height, with ornamental corners, and supporting 
a life-size standing figure of a woman, tastefully 
draped, with eyes raised toward heaven. Another 
very striking monument is "Sacred to the memory 
of Arnold Savage Landor, Esq., born 5th of March, 



FLORENCE. 247 



1818; died 2d of April, 1871." It is likewise of mar- 
ble, raised some five feet, bearing a life-size statue 
of a woman, supposed to represent the widow, kneel- 
ing on a Prie Diea, and resting her head on her left 
hand and holding a wreath in her right, her whole 
expression full of grief. On the front is carved the 
family coat of arms. To us there is always a sort of 
fascination in monumental inscriptions, and we cop- 
ied those of several other -monuments here; but we 
reproduce only one more — " Henry Florence, son of 
John A. C. and Susan Gray, of New York, aged 
nine months : 

"Fare thee well, our youngest treasure! 
On the soil that gave thee birth; 
By the rippling Arno's water, 
Rest thee in Italia' s earth, 
While the memory of thy sweetness 
Cheers a distant home and hearth — 
Cheers us while our sad hearts tell — 
The dear Lord doeth all things well." 

We do not present this for any special merit, but 
to show what only a parent's heart, who has been 
called to part with dear little ones, can feel, that, no 
matter how young, the loss of a sweet child is always 
sorrowful. "To-morrow," once wrote one of our 
distinguished historians and statesmen, who had 
just lost a dear infant — ' 'to-morrow we intrust her 
to her resting-place, and the next day we must take 
up our solitary journey on the paths of life." 



248 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



JPLORENCE, November 17.— Yesterday after- 
cA§; noon we went first to the Medicean Chapel 
connected with the Church of San Lorenzo. This is 
a magnificent octagonal room, very high in the 
walls, and lighted from an arched roof, which is 
adorned with fine fresco paintings in style not un- 
like the frescoes in the rotunda of our Capitol, and 
the walls are lined with marble and inlaid stones of 
various kinds, polished so brightly that they reflect 
the pictures from above almost as perfectly as the 
best mirror could do. In point of magnificence and 
beauty it is far ahead of either the Marble Room in 
the rear of our Senate Chamber or the Bank Room 
of the Treasury. 

We next went into the Sagrestia Nuova, also con- 
nected with this Church, a small building planned 
by Michael Angelo for its monuments, which were 
executed by him, and which are regarded as master- 
pieces of art. These are the monuments of Giulia- 
no and Lorenzo de Medici and the "Madonna and 
Child." There are also statues here of "San Dami- 
ano" and "San Cosimo" — one on the right and the 
other 'on the left of "The Virgin." There are alle- 
gorical figures on Griuliano's monument, or as com- 
posing a part of it, representing Day and Mght, and 
on Lorenzo's representing Aurora and Twilight, or 
Night and Morning. They are in the human form 
in reclining positions, and are the originals of those 
forming a part of the new monument to the great 
artist on San Miniato. In allusion to these statues 
Rogers wrote: 



FLORENCE. 249 



"There, from age to age, 
Two ghosts are sitting on their sepulchres; 
That is the Duke Lorenzo, mark him well! 
He meditates, his head upon his hand. 
What from beneath his helm - like bonnet scowls ? 
Is it a face or but an eyeless skull? 
'Tis lost in shade; yet, like the basilisk, 
It fascinates and is intolerable. 
His mien is noble, most majestical! 
Then most so, when the distant choir is heard 
At morn or eve." 

Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici were brothers, 
and from the latter part of the fourteenth till the 
early part of the eighteenth century the Medici fam- 
ily held the scepter of power almost continuously in 
Florence. The elder of these brothers was called 
"Lorenzo the Magnificent," and was regarded as 
among the ablest and best sovereigns of his time. 
Leo X., whose pontificate "is celebrated as one of 
the most prosperous in the annals of the Romish 
Church/' was his son. During the reign of Lorenzo, 
in 1478, there was a conspiracy, instigated by Sixtus 
IV., to assassinate Lorenzo and Giuliano and get 
possession of the government. The place selected 
for this atrocious deed was during service at the 
great Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, otherwise 
called the Duomo, in Florence, and it was intrusted 
to the archbishop and several priests. Giuliano not 
making his appearance at church as soon as expect- 
ed, two of the conspirators, Francesco de Pazzi and 
Bandini, went to his house "to insure and hasten 
his attendance." He accompanied them; "and as 
he walked between them they threw their arms 
around him with the familiarity of intimate friends, 
but, in fact, to discover whether he had any armor 
under his dress, possibly conjecturing from his long 



250 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

delay that he had suspected their purpose." The 
signal of attack was to be the ringing of the bell, 
when the priest should raise the consecrated wafer — 
"the people bowed before it, and at the same instant 
Bandini plunged a short dagger into the breast of 
Giuliano. On receiving the wound he took a few 
hasty steps and fell, when Francesco de Pazzi rushed 
upon him with incredible fury and stabbed him in 
different parts of the body, continuing to repeat his 
strokes even after he was apparently dead. Such 
was the violence of his rage that he wounded him- 
self deeply in his thigh. The priests who had under- 
taken the murder of Lorenzo were not equally suc- 
cessful. An ill -directed blow from Maffei, which 
was aimed at the throat, but took place behind 
the neck, rather roused him to his defence than 
disabled him. He immediately threw off his cloak, 
and holding it up as a shield in his left hand, with 
his right he drew his sword and repelled his assail- 
ants. * * Bandini, his dagger streaming with the 
blood of Giuliano, rushed toward Lorenzo; but meet- 
ing in his way Francesco Novi, a person in the 
service of the Medici, and in whom they placed 
great confidence, he stabbed him with a wound in- 
stantaneously mortal. At the approach of Bandini 
the friends of Lorenzo encircled him and hurried 
him into the sacristy, where Politiano and others 
closed the doors, which were of brass." While this 
bloody scene was being enacted in the Cathedral, 
"the archbishop and about thirty of his associates 
attempted to overpower the magistrates and to pos- 
sess themselves of the seat of go vernment " at the 
Palace; but being foiled at every point, the conspir- 
ators now sought to save themselves by flight. In 
this they were equally unsuccessful. The archbishop 



FLORENCE. 251 



and nearly every other prominent actor with him 
were seized and hung through the Palace windows. 
Thus the conspiracy was an entire failure; but the 
people deeply mourned the death of Giuliano. 

To return to the Church of San Lorenzo, where 
there are many other things of interest, among them 
two oblong pulpits, which are entered only by a 
ladder or moveable steps. On these pulpits are 
bronze bas-reliefs representing the " Passion and 
Eesurrection of the Saviour" — "The Descent from 
the Cross" and "The Entombment" being regarded 
as the finest. 

On our way home we stopped a few moments at 
the Baptistery, near the great Cathedral, and exam- 
ined closely the celebrated bronze doors, of which 
there are plaster castings in the Corcoran Art Gal- 
lery. These are on the side facing the Duomo. On 
two other sides of the Baptistery there are also 
bronze doors, we believe, of the same size, but less 
elaborately constructed. In the interior are some 
pictures, statuary, etc. One extensive piece of stat- 
uary, in rear of the altar, representing some Bible 
scene, and the mosaic work in the dome, are surpas- 
singly fine. Here priests and their attendants are 
every day engaged in christening and registering 
the names of newly- born infants; and the proceed- 
ings appeared to us more like an ordinary business 
transaction than a solemn religious ceremony. 

On entering the Duomo, which is a most imposing- 
structure, looming high up above all the surrounding 
buildings, except the Campanile, which is about the 
same height, we were surprised at the plainness of 
its finish internally, and at the absence of remarka- 
ble works of art. There are, however, many monu- 
ments, statues, and paintings here, of more or less 



252 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

merit. The dome is said to have served as a model 
to Michael Angelo for that of St. Peter's in Rome, 
which it exceeds in size. The Campanile, or bell- 
tower, erected in 1334 -'6, is two hundred and ninety- 
two feet in height, and is regarded as one of the 
finest existing works of the kind. It is sometimes 
called "Giotto's Tower," he being the architect who 
commenced its construction. It is square in form 
and four stories high, the lower story being decora- 
ted by statues and figures in has - relief. It is stated 
that Giotto intended to surmount it by a spire of one 
hundred feet, but that Gaddi, who completed it after 
his death, abandoned this project. Longfellow, in a 
short poem, thus refers to it: 

" In the old Tuscan town stands Giotto's tower, 
The lily of Florence blossoming in stone — 
A vision, a delight, and a desire — 
The builder's perfect and centennial flower, 
That in the night of ages bloomed alone, 
But wanting still the glory of the spire." 

On a beautiful afternoon a party of us rode to 
the site of the old Roman city of Fiesole, situated 
on a high hill some three miles northeast of Flor- 
ence, where the remains of the city walls, built 
two thousand years ago, are still to be seen, as 
well as the vestiges of an amphitheater supposed 
to date back also to that period. The Cathedral 
which we entered there has been built over eight 
hundred years, and other buildings near by, occupied 
as a convent, are equally ancient. What was once 
a city is now only a scattered village. Hallam 
describes it as "a villa overhanging the towers of 
Florence, on the slope of that lofty hill crowned 
by the mother city, the ancient Fiesole, in gardens 
which Tully might have envied. With Fieino, Lan- 



FLORENCE. 



253 



dino, and Politiano at his side, he delighted his hours 
of leisure with the beautiful visions of Platonic phi- 
losophy, for which the summer stillness of an Italian 
sky appears the most congenial accompaniment." 
The view from Fiesole is very fine when the weather 
is clear; but we thought the picture of the place 
itself, with the charming residences and gardens 
of the dwellers on the slope of the hill as we ap- 
proached it, was finer still. In the spring, when 
the foliage is fresh and green, it must be beautiful 
indeed. It is reached from Florence only by a zig- 
zag turnpike. 



CHAPTER XL. 

ijll^LOREISrCE, November 23.— On the morning of 
%^ the 18th instant we were prompt at breakfast 
in order to be early at the Painting Galleries, and by 
nine o'clock we were at the Uffizi Gallery, fifteen 
minutes' walk from our boarding house, No. 7 via 
Palestro; but, very much to our disappointment, we 
found a notice on the door stating that the hour of 
opening was eleven a. m., notwithstanding Baedek- 
er's Hand-book says nine a. m. Since the latest 
edition of this book, however, we understand a law 
has been passed in Italy providing for an admission 
fee to all the public Galleries on every day of the 
week except Sunday and Thursday, but whether the 
hours of exhibition are to be different on the free 
from the paying days we do not know. The admis- 
sion fee here is one franc, or, what is the same, one 
lira; and it is evidently the purpose of this poor 



254 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Italian Government to reap a handsome income in 
fees from the thousands of travelers who flock here 
every year. Seeing we had nearly two hours to 
wait, we crossed the Ponte Vecchio (bridge) and 
passed the intervening time in the Royal Palace 
heretofore briefly described. At the appointed hour 
we were on hand at the UflSzi Gallery door, and 
save a short time for lunch we occupied the day 
until three o'clock in that and the Pitti Gallery. In 
this time, however, we could give little more than a 
glance even at a very small part of the pictures, 
statuary, and other rare objects of art here; and it 
would be folly to attempt to give an intelligent 
description of them. The Uffizi Gallery is on the 
north and the Pitti Gallery, adjoining the Royal 
Palace, on the south side of the Arno, which divides 
the city, and both are connected by a covered way, 
which crosses above the street, and, turning at right 
angles, runs over the tops of the buildings along the 
river side a considerable distance to the Ponte Vec- 
chio; thence again turning a square corner, extends 
over the long rows of jewelers' shops, by which the 
bridge is lined on either side from one end to the 
other, and ascends by steps to the Pitti Gallery, 
looking out on the southeast side upon the beautiful 
Boboli Garden. These shops in themselves, like 
many others along the Lung Arno and in other 
parts of the city, of similar character, are a sight to 
behold, brilliant as they are with all kinds of the 
most attractive jewelry that can be made of gold 
and precious stones. Nowhere else have we seen 
such quantities of turquoise, lapis lazuli, agate, jas- 
per, and onyx, not to mention diamonds. The Flor- 
entine mosaics, a specialty, are very beautiful/ It is 
a walk of ten minutes from one Gallery to the other 



FLORENCE. 255 



through the covered passage or corridor, which is 
well lighted. On the walls of this corridor are gobe- 
lin works, some oil paintings, many engravings, 
and an endless number of drawings, many of the 
latter regarded as very valuable, being the works of 
Michael Angelo, Giotto, Leonardo da Yinci, Tinto- 
retto, Albert Diirer, and other old artists. The in- 
laid marble tables, of which there are several in 
these Galleries, like those in the King's Palace, are 
superb beyond description. Villages, landscapes, 
birds, musical instruments, people, and other objects 
are represented in them in a wonderfully perfect 
manner. One of them is said to have kept twenty- 
five men busy twenty- two years in its construction — 
a work for one man of five hundred and fifty years! 
In one of the rooms are the marble statues of "Ve- 
nus di Medici," "The Wrestlers," "Young Apollo," 
"The Dancing Fawn," and "Slave Whetting his 
Knife" — all originals, and plaster casts of which are 
common. Here, also, are Titian's "Venus" and 
Raphael's pictures of "The Madonna with the Gold- 
finch," "St. John as a Boy," "St. John Preaching 
in the Desert," and his "Portrait of Pope Julius 
II.," as well as many others of his celebrated paint- 
ings. Correggio's "Madonna Adoring the Child," 
and Raphael's "Madonna of the Chair," or "Sitting 
Madonna," both original and both universally cop- 
ied, are among the most attractive pictures of the 
thousands of fine paintings in these Galleries. In . 
a corridor of the Uffizi Gallery is a cabinet of gems, 
consisting of costly jewels and numerous other val- 
uable articles of virtu not unlike what we saw in 
the Green Vaults at Dresden. Since our first visit 
we have been several times to these Galleries, and 
were we to go there every day for a year we should 



256 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

hardly be able to examine critically all that there 
is here to be seen. We could but think that were 
the collection of pictures reduced by casting out no 
small number of nude figures, inferior " Madonnas," 
"Holy Families/' and "Saints," it would be a great 
improvement; and the same thinning out of the 
statuary could not, we think, be any matter of 
regret. 

We spent the afternoon of the 22d instant in the 
National Museum, which building, in the olden 
times, was the Hall of Justice, and is itself an 
object of more interest, perhaps, than what it now 
contains. The sides of the walls in the court are 
covered with coats of arms of the different podestas, 
or principal officers of the city, and inscriptions of 
various kinds are inserted in the walls under the 
two stages of arcades which extend entirely round 
the court, in the center of which is a well like 
those in the court of the Doges' Palace in Venice. 
In the lower story is a collection of old armor, the 
most formidable weapon being a large brass cannon 
of the sixteenth century, bearing the coat of arms 
of the Medici. It is highly ornamented, and at 
its breech is a complete bust, intended to represent 
St. Paul. What he could have had to do with such 
a monster of destruction does not appear. Near 
by were several pyramids of cannon balls, cut out 
of granite, and a weapon resembling the Gatling 
gun, quite remarkable. This gun has nine barrels, 
with a groove for the priming, the ignition of which 
by a flint lock served to discharge all the barrels 
at once. Unlike the Gatling gun, however, this 
was a hand weapon, the barrels and stock being 
about the length of those of a horse pistol. Among 
the works of sculpture here is Michael Angelo's 



FLORENCE. 257 



" Dying Adonis;" "Adam and Eve," formerly of the 
Garden of Eden, by Bandineli; and "Virtue Tri- 
umphant/' by Giambologna. This last is a stalwart 
and rather fierce -looking damsel, very much in the 
dress of her sister Eve — rather too scant, we could 
not help thinking, for a virtuous lady triumphing 
over vice — with her foot on the neck of an un- 
fortunate young man, also lightly clad, who had 
evidently in some way gotten into a bad scrape. 
There is also a celebrated statue of "Mercury," by 
Giambologna, and one of "David," by Verrochio. 
If this last had been named "Isaac" we should 
never have known the difference. We gaze with 
wonder at many a statue and many a painting, 
which we might pass with only a glance but that 
it has some great name and is said to be the work 
of some famous artist. We were interested in two 
small pieces of sculpture in bronze, representing 
"Abraham's Sacrifice." This subject was given to 
artists on trial as competitors for the doors of the 
Baptistery; and these two specimens were by Ghi- 
berti and Brunellesco, the former of whom was suc- 
cessful, as he was evidently entitled to be. In one 
of the rooms is a large collection of fancy ivory 
carvings of a most ingenious character. For in- 
stance, you see a ball three or four inches in diame- 
ter with half a dozen or more balls, all separate, one 
within the other, neatly carved by some instrument 
or instruments admitted through small openings on 
four sides, or opposite points of the sphere. Vari- 
ous other devices are chosen to show the ingenuity 
of the artist and excite the wonder of the beholder. 
A most wonderful piece of wood carving is also 
exhibited in the same room; and then there are 
anatomical statuettes in wax and bronze, a series of 
17 



258 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

sculptures representing "The Combats of Hercules," 
a cabinet of fine crystals, etc. It would require a 
volume to describe the numerous articles in this 
collection. 

We have been gratified by a visit to the house of 
Michael Angelo, situated in via Grhibellina, near the 
Piazza Santa Croce, where there is a collection of 
his pictures, designs, manuscripts, and other inter- 
esting relics. It is shown for a fee of half a franc. 
We saw his canes and his two - edged sword, which 
bears the arms of his family, the portraits of many 
of whom hang upon the walls. Some of his table- 
ware is highly prized as being very beautiful. There 
is a bust of him in bronze, from a cast taken after 
death. Models of some of his most celebrated works 
are likewise preserved here. In an out-of-the-way 
corner of the house is a little closet, with only one 
small window, where, we were told, he used to con- 
ceal nimself whenever he wished to avoid intruders. 
When closed there was no sign of any door to this 
snug retreat. He never married. Being asked why 
he preferred to remain single, he answered, "My 
art Is my wife, and gives me as much trouble as 
married life could do; and my works will be my 
children." 

Some of our party rode one day to La Certosa, 
three miles out of town, to visit there an old Carthu- 
sian Monastery, "which is approaching dissolution 
and contains twelve inmates only." These monks 
were dressed each in a long white flannel robe with 
a pointed hood and tied around the waist with a 
thick cord, suspended from which was a string of 
beads with a cross. They wore sandals strapped to 
their feet, without stockings. They have an herb 
garden and pharmacy, and sell medicine, perfumes 






FLORENCE. 259 



of various kinds, and delicious chartreuse, a bottle 
of which we secured for home consumption. The 
Monastery is quite a curiosity. When Pius VI. was 
banished from Rome by the French he had his resi- 
dence here, and the room he occupied is shown to 
visitors. The Villa of Galileo is passed on the way 
to Certosa. It was here or at his prison in Florence 
that Milton visited Galileo near the close of his life, 
and wrote: "There it was that I found and visited 
the famous Galileo, grown old, a prisoner to the In- 
quisition for thinking in astronomy otherwise than 
the Franciscan and Dominican licensers thought." 



CHAPTER XLI. 

, LORENCE, December 8.— On the 24th ultimo 
hSfr we went again to Powers' studio to take an- 
other view of the many beautiful statues and busts 
there, and to obtain photographs of some with which 
we were most pleased, that we might be able the 
more readily to recall them hereafter. One of the 
most charming of these, by Hiram Powers, is that 
of "Genevra," so named, no doubt, from the cir- 
cumstance that this was the name of a Florentine 
lady who was the heroine of a romantic story re- 
lated by Bocaccio. This story, as given in "Walks 
in Florence," is as follows: "Genevra, a daughter 
of the noble house of Amieri, or Admari, was be- 
loved by Antonio Rondinelli, whose family belonged 
to the popolani, or plebeian order, which had led 
an attack against the nobles in 1343. The father 
of Genevra accordingly refused his consent to her 



260 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

marriage with Rondinelli, and obliged her to accept 
as a husband Francesco Agolanti, who was of equal 
birth with herself. During the plague of 1400 she 
was seized by the fatal malady and fell into a 
swoon, which her husband mistook for death, and 
she was buried in the family vault in the cemetery, 
between the Cathedral and Campanile. In the mid- 
dle of the night Genevra recovered her senses, and 
was terrified when she perceived, by the clear moon- 
light which penetrated the apertures between the 
stones, that she was lying in a vault. She succeeded 
in bursting the bandages which confined her, and 
contrived to raise the stone above, and to make 
her escape. She first directed her steps toward her 
husband's home, and in order to reach it she had to 
pass along the narrow way called from that time 
forth the via del Morte. Agolanti, looking out when 
she knocked at the door, supposed her to be a spirit 
come to torment him, and refused her admittance. 
She then proceeded to her father's house, near St. 
Andrea behind the Mercato Vecchio; but, again re- 
jected, she returned to the via Calzaioli and sat 
down on the steps of the Church of San Bartolom- 
meo, to reflect where to go next. Gaining courage, 
she sought the house of Rondinelli, near the street 
which to this day bears the name of his family. 
Here she was received by his parents, and the tribu- 
nals having decided that the marriage of a woman 
who had been dead and buried was annulled, she 
was permitted to marry her former lover." Of 
course, a walk through the via del Morte, or street 
of Death, and to other points mentioned in this 
romantic story, possessed additional interest on ac- 
count of these associations. 
At our quiet boarding house we have a parlor 



FLORENCE. 261 



in common with Mr. and Mrs. Stickney and Rev. 
Mr. Sumner, and every morning join with them 
in family worship. On the 25th of November, 
Thanksgiving Day in the United States, we assem- 
bled as usual after breakfast, and gathering around 
us all our relations (in photograph) we could com- 
mand, the Thanksgiving Proclamations of the Pres- 
ident and Governor of Connecticut were read, and 
the hymn, "Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow," was sung as a part of the morning services. 
At eleven o'clock we all went to the American 
Union Church, where we had an excellent discourse 
on "Cheerfulness" by the pastor, Rev. J. E. Kit- 
tredge, and a good Thanksgiving poem by Hon. 
Charles Thurber, from Brooklyn, N. Y., some time 
a sojourner in this city. The address was a strong 
and eloquent plea against all moroseness and morbid 
feeling, and for a bright and joyous life — driving 
away all dull care as far as possible. The poem 
contains many happy hits in allusion to politics and 
other current matters in our own country, pointedly 
condemning all action tending to weaken the credit 
of the United States in the eyes of Europe. Besides 
congregational singing, the gentleman who presided 
at the cabinet organ sang with a fine voice an ap- 
propriate hymn, and Miss Emma Abbott, a pro- 
fessional singer, gave us the hymn, " Nearer my 
God to Thee," with touching effect. One of the 
walls of the old hall in which these services were 
held is curved, and on inquiring why it was so 
constructed, we were informed that it was for the 
purpose of "keeping the devil out," and that many, 
if not most, of the old buildings here have at least 
one such wall — the result of this strange super- 
stition. A somewhat similar superstition seems to 






262 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

prevail in Germany, where, as we observed in our 
travels, it is the custom, when the roof of a new 
house is raised, to erect a tree on the ridge-pole; 
and this is believed to be a security against any 
intrusion thereafter of his Satanic majesty. An- 
other singular superstition, which prevails in Italy 
among the lower classes, is that an "evil eye," often 
detected in a crowd, or in passing along the street, 
may be turned away from you by closing the two 
middle fingers and thumb of one hand and pointing 
with the index and little finger at the "evil -eyed" 
person. The inference is that the "old boy" is shy 
of forked instruments. We know that travelers 
resort to this method, with good effect, to disperse 
Italian beggars when too troublesome. 

It is gratifying to see, everywhere we have been 
in Italy, that there appears to be perfect religious 
liberty; and we were particularly struck by this fact 
on going to the American Episcopal Church here 
one Sunday, the room in which the Episcopal ser- 
vices were held being separated from an old Roman 
Catholic church only by a single wall, and the front 
doors of both buildings opening on the same street. 
Here was not only entire freedom of worship by 
sects in some things wide apart, but in bodily con- 
junction so close as to make one feel that only one 
step more is necessary to bring about a complete 
union on the true Christian basis. 

The Church of Santa Croce, which dates back to 
the thirteenth century, stands on the Piazza Santa 
Croce, in which there is an imposing monument to 
Dante, consisting of his statue, nineteen feet in 
height, on a pedestal twenty- three feet high, adorned 
on its four corners with four shield - bearing lions. 
This Church is called the Westminster Abbey of 



FLORENCE. 263 



Florence. Besides many valuable paintings in fresco 
as well as on canvas, there are a great many monu- 
ments here of a striking character, among which 
are those of Dante, Machiavelli, Alfieri, Galileo, 
(died 1642,) and Michael Angelo, (died 1564,) the 
remains of the latter two of whom rest here. On 
Michael Angelo's tomb there is a bust, by Baptista 
Lorenzi, said to be a correct likeness of the great 
artist; and guarding the door are three statues, in 
mournful attitude, representing "Painting," "Sculp- 
ture," and "Architecture." The position of this 
tomb is said to have been selected by Michael An- 
gelo himself, that he might see from his last resting 
place the dome of the Cathedral, "the delight and 
study of his mind." The Bonaparte family own a 
chapel in this church, and there are monuments in it 
to Carlotta Bonaparte, who died in 1830, and to Clara 
Bonaparte, whose death took place in 1845. Within 
One square of our boarding house there is a splen- 
did mansion fronting the Arno, the residence of a 
nephew of Napoleon I. It occupies, with its garden 
and outhouses, an entire square. 

We have been into several other churches here, all 
of them more or less attractive on account of their 
age and the many interesting objects they contain. 

Fronting on the Piazza della Signoria, one of the 
largest squares of the city, and the scene of Savona- 
rola's martyrdom in 1498, is the Palazzo Vecchio, 
"originally the seat of the Republic, and subse- 
quently the residence of Cosmo I., erected in- 1298. " 
It is an interesting old edifice, containing many fine 
frescoes. Also, fronting on the same square is the 
Loggia dei Lanzi, erected in 1376. Under the por- 
tico, among other statuary, is John of Bologna's 
group in marble, called the "Rape of the Sabines," 



264 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and another group, by Fedi, called the "Rape of 
Polyxena." Fedi is an Italian artist here, whose 
studio we have visited. He is an enthusiast, and 
seemed to take great pleasure in showing us what 
he had accomplished in works of art. Newman, an 
American gentleman devoted to painting in water 
colors, has a studio here, where we saw some ex- 
cellent pictures; and we have been also to the studio 
of Ciseri, an Italian painter, whose remarkable oil 
painting of "The Entombment" hangs in the Crystal 
Palace, London. 

We have been to McNamee's studio, a sculptor 
from Brooklyn, N. Y., to see his model, not yet 
completed, of his "Base Ball Player," on which he 
said he had been engaged four years. His living 
model was present and took the attitude being repre- 
sented, that we might compare the one with the 
other. The model's right foot on tip toe is at the 
base, while his left, with the body, is stretched for- 
ward and arms extended to the utmost point — both 
hands ready to catch the ball — and head turned 
toward his left shoulder, looking with intense eager- 
ness as if to follow the direction of the ball. It is a 
singular fact that this living model, an Italian of 
twenty- five or thirty years of age, from having been 
rather a frail young man when he first stood for Mr. 
McNamee, has by this exercise become powerfully 
muscular, and his left thigh, from the greater strain 
upon it, has increased in size three inches more than 
his right. Mr. McNamee has just completed a beau- 
tiful bust in marble of Miss Kinsley, of Brooklyn. 

The Riding Park and open promenade lies west of 
the city, extending back on the banks of the Arno 
about two miles. One of the six or seven bridges 
over the Arno at Florence crosses from this Park, 



FLORENCE. 265 



which on fine days is a great place of resort for all 
the gay people of the city. 

Many odd sights appear in the market places, not 
the least being the market people themselves. Many 
of the poor people one is sure to find here have the 
most woe -begone look, more especially when the 
weather is cold. Evidently they are reduced to the 
greatest extremity, and are ready to seize on almost 
any kind of food to keep from starvation. We see 
them parting with their last soldo for a piece of 
warm chestnut bread and a mouthful of fried blood 
of fowls and animals, which are slaughtered and 
their blood saved and cooked on the spot. If the 
weather is cold, those of them who are able carry in 
their hands a scaldino, a small earthern vessel filled 
with a few live coals and hot ashes to keep from 
freezing to death. These vessels have handles, and 
we see the shivering poor carrying them in chilly 
weather wherever we go in the streets. 

During the most of the three weeks we have been 
in this city the weather has been anything but pleas- 
ant, being either cloudy and raw or rainy. In the 
middle of last month it rained for a whole week 
almost incessantly, and the Arno became so swollen 
that the city authorities became alarmed and took 
measures to guard against an overflow, such as we 
are informed occurred here six years ago, when the 
Lung Arno, the street which runs the entire length 
of the city on the east bank of the river, was three 
feet under water. 

We have lingered longer in Florence than we an- 
ticipated doing. Ho! now for the ''Eternal City." 



266 SKETCHES OP TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

I am in Rome! oft as the morning ray 

Visits these eyes, waking at once I cry, 

Whence this excess of joy? what has befallen me? 

And from within a thrilling voice replies, 

Thou art in Rome. — Rogers. 



ES, here we are in the "Eternal City!" but it 
c^tr seems more like a dream than a reality. Leav- 
ing Florence at half past eight on the morning of the 
9th of December, we came in sight of the dome of 
St. Peter's at half past four in the afternoon. No 
other sign of the city was visible. The day was 
fair, and the sun, now but a little above the horizon, 
revealed a long, low range of clouds, which, lighted 
up by its rays, looked like a serpentine stream of 
fire. It was, indeed, a beautiful Italian sunset, and 
after two months of almost continual cloudy weath- 
er, it was not strange that we witnessed it with 
some degree of enthusiasm. On our near approach 
to the city we might easily have imagined ourselves 
as entering Washington from the north, the land 
being low and level, and no part of the city being in 
sight until we came within a short distance of its 
walls, which are in a dilapidated condition. In less 
than five minutes we were within the gates and at 
the railroad depot. A porter was ready at the car 
door to carry our light baggage to a carriage, which 
we entered, and gave directions to the coachman to 
drive us to the Hotel della Pace, No. 8 via Sistina, 
where comfortable quarters had been engaged for us 
by friends whom we had met in Florence, and who 
had arrived there a few days before us. We shall 
have occasion to speak of these friends hereafter. 



ROME. 267 



Our coachman started off with us, but before we 
reached the street from the depot his horse began to 
back and turn, and showed so ugly a disposition 
that we alighted, determined to try another team 
which should go forward instead of backward. If 
we were to have our necks broken, we desired at 
any rate to see Rome first. However, the driver 
having called two men to his assistance, we ven- 
tured to return to our seats, and the horse finding 
three too many for him, wisely concluded to behave 
himself, and we were soon landed at our hotel, 
where, thanks to our friends, we found a nice room 
with a wood fire awaiting us. The day had been 
quite cold; and we observed that ice had formed over 
shoal water and along the edges of the streams by 
the roadside; nevertheless we enjoyed every moment 
of the way, since every foot of ground over which we 
passed is historical territory. At Arrezzo, the an- 
cient Arretium, where the Roman consul Flaminius 
lost his life in an encounter with Hannibal's army, 
we stopped long enough to gather leaves and touch 
the soil consecrated by the blood of the slain. Many 
of the towns we passed are built upon hills and 
strongly protected by thick walls. Orvieto is a most 
singular looking old place, situated on an isolated 
tufa rock, or ledge, over seven hundred feet above 
the river Paglia at its base. We could not see into 
it, as it is surrounded by a wall and entered from a 
steep paved road winding around the eastern side. 
"In the middle ages it was a stronghold of the 
Guelphs and often afforded an asylum to the Popes." 
We should have been glad to have stopped a day or 
two at every one of these old towns; but it was not in 
our programme and we must be content with a good 
look at the great cities. 



268 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

No, we can hardly realize that we are in Rome, 
the seat of the long line of Caesars, of whom we 
have read so much; the famous city to which St. 
Paul was brought a prisoner for trial, and where 
he " dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, 
and received all that came in unto him, preaching 
the kingdom of God, and teaching those things 
which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all con- 
fidence, no man forbidding him;" the city where he 
gathered about him his faithful friends, Timothy, 
Tychicus, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Epaphras, 
Luke, ''the beloved physician," and, no doubt, scores 
of other humble followers. "The first hour after 
the sight of Rome greets you is, perhaps, the most 
memorable in the life of an educated man. It is 
impossible to describe it; it is impossible to convey 
an idea of the beauty of the picture Rome presents, 
seated on her seven hills, and surrounded by the 
exquisite mountain ranges of Soracte, Albano, and 
the Apennines on one side, and the broad plain and 
the distant sea on the other." So wrote the late 
Professor Felton in 1853, and so we feel to-day. 

We have referred to friends who preceded us. 
They were the Rev. J. W. Parker, wife and daugh- 
ter, from Washington, and Miss Kendall, of Boston, 
traveling with them. The next morning after our 
arrival Dr. Parker led the way by the Spanish 
Staircase for a look at the city from Pincian Hill, 
first, however, going to our banker's to register our 
names, and to the Piazza del Popolo, where we vis- 
ited the Twin Churches Santa Maria in Monte Santo 
and Santa Maria de' Miracoli, and also the Church 
of Santa Maria del Popolo. There is little that is 
remarkable about the Twin Churches, except that 
they "are believed to occupy the site of the magnifi- 



ROME. 269 



cent tomb of Sylla, who died at Puteoli b. c. 82, but 
was honored at Rome with a public funeral, at 
which the patrician ladies burnt masses of incense 
and perfumes on his funeral pyre." Santa Maria 
del Popolo was founded in 1099, and, it is said, occu- 
pies the site of the tombs of the Domitii, "the 
burial place of Nero, which was haunted by evil 
spirits." Tradition relates that these evil spirits 
came in the shape of a great number of crows, 
which alighted on a gigantic walnut tree that had 
sprung up from Nero's grave. "Pope Paschal II. 
dreamed that they were demons and that the Bles- 
sed Virgin commanded him to cut down and burn 
the tree and build a sanctuary to her honor in its 
place." The church abounds in sculptures, bronze 
figures, and paintings in the highest style of art. 

In the Piazza del Popolo is an obelisk brought 
from Egypt by the Emperor Augustus, and erected 
in honor of Apollo. From this square three of the 
principal streets of the city radiate — the Corso in 
the center, the Babuino on the left, and the Ripetta 
on the right. The Corso is to Rome what Broadway 
is to New York. We walked to Mont Pincio by an 
old brick monastery which was the home of Luther 
when he lived in Rome. From this point we have a 
good view of nearly the whole city. It is on the 
northern border, just within the walls of ancient 
Rome, but it is not one of the "Seven Hills." "In 
early imperial times the site of the Pincio Garden 
was occupied by the famous villa of Lucullus, who 
had gained his enormous wealth as a General of the 
Roman armies in Asia." On the left side are several 
terraces with a zig-zag carriage-way and foot walk, 
"adorned with rostral columns, statues, and marble 
bas-reliefs, interspersed with cypresses and pines" 



270 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and " lined also with mimosas and other flowering 
shrubs." From the furthest angle of the garden, 
northeast, "you look down from the parapet upon 
the Muro Torto, a massive fragment of the oldest 
Roman wall, which juts over, as if ready to tumble 
down by its own weight, yet seems still the most 
indestructible piece of work that men's hands ever 
piled together." This wall is very high. Beyond it 
is the villa Borghese with its spacious and beautiful 
gardens. From this eminence, on the opposite side, 
"the Eternal City is seen spread at our feet, and 
beyond it the wide - spreading Campagna, till a sil- 
ver line marks the sea melting into the horizon 
beyond Ostia." Away across the Tiber, on the ex- 
treme eastern border, stands St. Peter's in all its 
glory; on the right and adjoining which are a series 
of buildings composing the Vatican; and about an 
eighth of a mile nearer, directly on the west bank of 
the Tiber, the round Castle of St. Angelo, built by 
the Emperor Hadrian for his family tomb, but now 
the stronghold of the city, rises high above the adja- 
cent buildings. Nearer still, on the east side of the 
river, where much the larger part of the city lies, is 
the Capitol, like the city, ancient in appearance; and 
yet nearer, the Quirinal Pala,ce, while beyond, in the 
southern suburbs, are the Coliseum, the Temple of 
Vesta, the Arch of Constantine, and the ruins of the 
Palace of the Csesars, of the Temples of Saturn and 
Vespasian, and of Constantine's Temple of Peace. 
There in the center of the city is the Pantheon, 
erected by Marcus Agrippa a quarter of a century 
before Christ; a little to the left the Trajan Column, 
and out by the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill the 
eye traces the main avenue leading to the Appian 
Way, one of the great high roads into the Campagna. 



ROME. 271 



These are only some of the prominent objects that 
meet the eye as we stand here exultant at the long- 
coveted sight. 

No, it is not a dream! We have compassed the 
great. deep; we have made our way through many 
lands; we have scaled the mountains of Switzerland; 
and Mont Cenis has given way to admit us into 
"Sunny Italy," where we now have the supreme 
satisfaction of beholding her Capital, the "Eternal 
City/' with our own eyes! "Never mind, father/' 
said Henry Franklin, near the close of October, 1867, 
when at Florence we were compelled, owing to the 
cholera and the hostile movements of Garibaldi, to 
turn our faces homeward without going to Rome and 
Naples — "never mind, father, it will be a good rea- 
son for coming again;" and so it was. Now the city 
is free from any unusual malady, Garibaldi, having 
entered Rome in triumph, is an invalid at his villa 
Casalini three miles outside its walls, and we see no 
obstacle to a complete enjoyment of our visit, which 
may extend to weeks. Indeed, our apprehensions of 
sickness have greatly diminished since our arrival, 
so comfortably are we situated and so cheerful every- 
thing appears around us. For the information of 
travelers who may come after us, we will remark 
that our hotel is well situated, and that we have a 
good room facing south, with board, including a 
bottle of wine at dinner, fire and lights, (two candles 
a week,) all for ten francs a day each, or four dollars 
a day for two. We require little fire, however, ex- 
cept after four in the evening, and this is provided 
by coke, first ignited and brought in a small cylin- 
der, which is placed within a drum, a two -inch pipe 
being attached to the cylinder and leading out of 
doors. On retiring for the night we set this cylinder. 



272 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



which is closed by a lid, on the stone balcony out- 
side. The drum is about three feet high, and one 
and a half feet in diameter, having four two -inch 
pipes, for cold air, equi- distant from each other 
opening at the bottom and also into the room near 
the top of the drum, which is closed by a close-fit- 
ting cover. It is a very economical arrangement for 
heating, and might be introduced to good advantage 
wherever fuel is dear. While thus briefly referring 
to our domestic comforts, we should not forget to 
mention the important fact that one of the walls of 
our room is crooked -a certain bar to evil spirits 
according to Italian superstition. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

B OME, December 12. -Yesterday, the second day 
^ V after our arrival, having the day before ob- 
tained at our banker's permits to the Sistine Chapel 
and Galleries of the Vatican, we started early for 
bt. Peter's. Taking carriages - one lira, or nineteen 
cents, pays for a one-horse carriage carrying three 
persons to any part of the city-we were driven 
immediately to the main southern entrance of the 
Vatican; but learning that the doors of the Chapel 
would not be opened before eleven o'clock, we as- 
cended the steps to St. Peter's, and were soon filled 
with wonder at the grand proportions and magnifi- 
cent adornments of that mammoth edifice. Unequal 
to the task of presenting any satisfactory description 
of this building without the aid of competent author- 
ities, we shall take the liberty of resorting to them 



ROME. 273 



for such assistance as we may find necessary, with- 
out stopping always to give credit. These, both in 
English and French, we have now before us, and in 
their descriptions they often necessarily employ, to 
a greater or less extent, nearly the same terms, and 
for the same reason, no doubt, which now controls 
us, not unfrequently the same words and sentences. 
Next to its unrivaled dome, what first strikes us 
on approaching St. Peter's is* the spacious piazza 
in front with the magnificent colonnades, in the 
form of a half crescent, on either side, the Egyptian 
obelisk in the center, and two beautiful fountains, 
one on each side between the obelisk and the col- 
onnades, in full play. The colonnades have two 
hundred and eighty- four Doric columns, are sixty- 
one feet wide and sixty- four high, and they inclose 
an area of seven hundred and seventy- seven feet. 
The length of each colonnade from its lower extrem- 
ity to the portico of the church is eleven hundred 
and ten feet, and its greatest breadth seven hundred 
and eighty feet. On the roofs of the colonnades, 
which were erected in 1667, are one hundred and 
twenty- six statues of Saints. The obelisk was 
brought from Heliopolis by Caligula. Its whole 
height is one hundred and thirty- two feet, that of 
the shaft eighty- three feet. It was in this piazza 
that the great religious ceremonies used to be held; 
but since the Pope was deprived of his temporal 
power, we believe nothing of the kind has taken 
place here. 

The first church built on the site of St. Peter's 
"was the oratory founded in a. d. 90 by Anacletus, 
Bishop of Rome, who is said to have been ordained 
by St. Peter himself, and who thus marked the 
spot where many Christian martyrs had suffered 



274 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

in the circus of Nero, and where St. Peter was 
buried after his crucifixion. In 306 Constantine 
the Great yielded to the request of Pope Sylvester, 
and began the erection of a basilica on this spot, 
laboring with his own hands at the work, and him- 
self carrying away twelve loads of earth, in honor 
of the apostles." It was only half the size of the 
present Cathedral. It suffered severely in the Sara- 
cenic invasion of 846, and at the instance of Nicholas 
V. (1450) was almost entirely destroyed in the time 
of Julius II., prior to 1506, when the present edifice 
was begun from designs of Bramante. Of the old 
basilica, the crypt is now almost the only remnant, 
and "of the endless works of art with which it 
was filled" a few relics only have been preserved 
from destruction. "The fagade of St. Peter's is 
three hundred and fifty- seven feet long and one 
hundred and forty- four feet high. It is surmounted 
by a balustrade six feet in height, bearing statues 
of the Saviour and the twelve Apostles." A wide 
flight of steps, at the foot of which are statues of 
St. Peter and St. Paul, lead by five entrances to 
the vestibule, which is four hundred and sixty- eight 
feet long, sixty- six feet high and fifty feet wide. 
"The magnificent central door of bronze is a rem- 
nant from the old basilica." On the right is a 
walled -up doorway, called the Porta Santa, only 
opened for the Jubilee, which formerly took place 
every twenty- fifth year. From the vestibule the 
church is entered through immense doorways, pro- 
vided with heavy, stuffed leathern curtains sus- 
pended from the top. It takes a man's strength 
to lift aside these heavy curtains; and usually some 
poor beggar stands ready to perform this service, 
expecting, of course, a soldo for his proffered polite- 



ROME. 275 



ness. On entering, "the interior bursts upon our 
astonished gaze, resplendent in light, magnificence, 
and beauty, beyond all that imagination can con- 
ceive." So it struck us; nor can we wonder that 
Mendelssohn thought that St. Peter's "surpassed 
all powers of description." He said, — "It appears 
to me like some great work of Nature, a forest, 
a mass of rocks, or something similar; for I never 
can realize the idea that it is the work of man. 
You strive to distinguish the ceiling as little as 
the canopy of heaven; you lose your way in St. 
Peter's; you take a walk in it, and ramble till you 
are quite tired; when divine service is performed 
and chanted there, you are not aware of it until 
you come quite close. The angels in the Baptistery 
are enormous giants; the doves colossal birds of 
prey; you lose all sense of measurement with the 
eye, or proportion; and yet who does not feel his 
heart expand when standing under the dome and 
gazing up at it." Madame de Stael described the 
architecture of St. Peter's as "musique fixee" (froz- 
en music.) "On each side of the nave are four 
pillars with Corinthian pilasters, and a rich entab- 
lature supporting the arches. The roof is vaulted, 
coffered, and gilded. The pavement is of colored 
marble inlaid. In the center of the floor, immedi- 
ately within the chief entrance, is a round slab of 
porphyry, upon which the Emperors were crowned. " 
Imagine our sensations as we stood upon this slab. 
"The enormous size of the statues and ornaments of 
St. Peter's do away with the impression of its vast 
size, and it is only by observing the living, moving 
figures that one can form any idea of its colossal 
proportions." Its length is six hundred and thirteen 
feet, and it has an area of two hundred and twelve 






276 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

thousand three hundred and twenty- one square feet. 
The height of the dome in the interior is four hun- 
dred and five feet. The letters of the Latin inscrip- 
tion in the dome, which are in purple mosaic upon a 
gold ground, are each six feet long, and the pen of 
St. Luke seven feet; yet from the nave below they 
appear to be of the natural size. There are in the 
dome colossal mosaics of "The Evangelists," also of 
"The Saviour," "The Virgin," "The Apostles," and 
on a level with the lantern, one of " God the Father." 
Around the shrine is a circle of eighty -six gold 
lamps., always kept burning. From this you look 
down into the confessional, where there is a beauti- 
ful kneeling statue of Pope Pius VI. The Church 
contains twenty- nine altars besides the high altar, 
and one hundred and forty- eight columns. The side 
chapels are splendid, and some of them are large 
enough for independent churches, and are provided 
with galleries for the choir. They are designated 
by different names. One derives its name from the 
Pieta of Michael Angela, who had more to do, prob- 
ably, than any other artist in bringing St. Peter's to 
its present state of architectural perfection. In the 
Chapel of the Holy Sacrament are the tombs of the 
Stuarts. On the right is the monument of Maria 
Clementina Sobieski, wife of James III., called in 
the inscription "Queen of Great Britain, France, 
and Ireland," and on the left is that of Canova to 
the three Stuart Princes, James III. and his sons 
Charles Edward and Henry — Cardinal York. "Dis- 
tributed around the whole basilica are confessionals 
of every Christian tongue." They are inscribed 
with the names of the different languages. Be- 
neath the dome there is an imposing bronze canopy 
supported by four richly gilded spiral columns, nine- 



ROME. 277 



ty- five feet in height, and under this the high altar. 
Near by, against the last pier on the right of the 
nave, is a bronze statue of St. Peter. "Its extended 
foot is eagerly kissed by Roman Catholic devotees, 
who then rub their foreheads against its toes." Of 
the many strange things here this proceeding was 
one of the first that attracted our attention. It is 
kept up almost continually. The toes of the statue, 
raised some five feet from the floor, are bright from 
this act of devotion, of which the great toe appears 
to receive the larger share and is considerably worn. 
Usually, before kissing, the devotee wipes the toes 
with a handkerchief, or oftener with the coat sleeve 
or wristband. "On high festivals the statue (sit- 
ting) is dressed up in full pontificals. On the day of 
the jubilee of Pius IX., (June 16, 1871,) it was attired 
in a lace alb, stole, and gold - embroidered cope, 
fastened at the breast by a clasp of diamonds; and 
its foot was kissed by upward of twenty thousand 
persons during the day." 

While we were present religious services w^ere be- 
ing conducted in one or more of the chapels. At 
eleven in the forenoon we proceeded to the Sistine 
Chapel. At the foot of the Scala Regia, leading to 
the chapel and other apartments of the Vatican, we 
were met by the guard in military uniform, and the 
officer in command taking our tickets of admission, 
gave directions to a subordinate to accompany us up 
stairs to the chapel door, where we were admitted 
by the doorkeeper. The frescoes in this chapel are 
considered very remarkable. The painting of "The 
Last Judgment," by Michael Angelo, nearly fills one 
end of the room; and the ceiling, which is covered 
with Scriptural representations, contains what are 
regarded his most perfect works in fresco painting. 



278 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



The chapel being closed again about noon, we re- 
turned and spent the time in the Cathedral until two 
o'clock, when we were admitted to and finished the 
day in the Raphael Gallery of Paintings, also in the 
Vatican, which is said to contain eleven hundred 
rooms, and to be the largest, but certainly not the 
most magnificent, Palace in the world. Among 
other famous paintings here we had the pleasure of 
seeing that of "St. Romualdo," by Andrea del Sarto; 
"The Coronation of the Virgin," by Jules Romano; 
"Last Communion of St Jerome," by Domenichino; 
Raphael's "Transfiguration," and his "Madonna di 
Foligno." 



CHAPTER XLIV. 



MttT\ OME, December 14. — We have made an agree- 
^PV able call at the office of the United States Le- 
gation, where we were pleasantly received by our 
Minister, Honorable George P. Marsh, whom the 
writer knew slightly as a Member of Congress from 
Vermont before the war. He received his appoint- 
ment at the commencement of President Lincoln's 
Administration, and has conducted his mission in a 
manner highly honorable to himself and to his coun- 
try. There is no doubt that he has had great influ- 
ence with the Italian Government and people in 
softening old prejudices against freedom of thought 
and action in religion as well as in the encourage- 
ment of civil reform generally. 

Last Sunday forenoon we attended the American 
Union Church, where we heard an excellent sermon 



ROME. 279 



by Rev. Mr. Langmuir, the temporary pastor, who 
hails from the United States. He read from a chap- 
ter in Acts, wherein St. Paul is referred to as coming 
to Rome. It seemed to us more real than ever be- 
fore. The principal aim of his discourse was to 
impress upon his hearers the importance of attend- 
ing religious services regularly, as well while travel- 
ing abroad as when at home. In the afternoon we 
went to St. Peter's to hear vespers. There were 
about twenty cardinals and some sixty priests who, 
with the choir, took part in the ceremonies, which 
were interspersed with reading and responses, sing- 
ing by the choir, accompanied by the organ, and 
much bowing, turning, and kneeling. The cardin- 
als occupied the highest seats, which are the back 
seats on the right and left of the altar, and the choir 
occupied a side gallery in front of the organ. The 
priests of lesser degree had seats in front of and 
below the cardinals, one of whom is a young man 
we should think not over twenty- five, belonging, no 
doubt, to some family of high rank and wealthy, as 
he was richly dressed. These services were in a 
side chapel, large enough to accommodate three or 
four hundred people. 

On our way home from St. Peter's we stopped at 
the Church of the Trinita de' Monti to hear vespers 
by the French nuns. This church is situated by 
Pincian Hill, near the head of the Spanish Staircase, 
a magnificent flight of one hundred and twenty- five 
steps, leading up from the Piazzi di Spagna to via 
Sistina. We have seldom passed this point without 
seeing groups of curiously dressed persons of both 
sexes and all ages, who make a living by standing 
as models for artists or by being invited by strangers 
to photograph establishments to get their photo- 



280 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

graphs taken. It may be a genteel way of begging. 
We understand they profess to be Neapolitans; but 
one thing about them is certain, they present a 
perfect picture of unconcerned laziness. On enter- 
ing the church we saw one or two hundred nuns in 
front of the main altar — scholars with their attend- 
ants — who were taking part in the services by sing- 
ing, being accompanied by the organ. Their singing 
was very plaintive and sweet. Three or four priests 
were officiating, being, with the nuns, shut off from 
the rest of the worshipers and audience by a high 
iron grating. At the conclusion of the service the 
nuns passed in regular order down the aisle to the 
steps of the altar, where each one courtesied or 
half knelt, and proceeded to a side door leading into 
the convent. They wore long white veils thrown 
over their heads, while the sisters, their attendants, 
wore black bonnets and black veils. "In the even- 
ing," Frederika Bremer observes, "people go to the 
Trinita to hear the nuns sing from the organ gallery. 
It sounds like the singing of angels. One sees in 
the choir troops of young scholars, moving with 
slow and measured steps, with their long white veils, 
like a flock of spirits." 

In the evening, by special invitation, we all at- 
tended a reception at Mr. Van Meter's, who, with 
members of his family, is actively engaged here in 
teaching. He has one or more schools in the city, 
and one also at Frascata, which are supported mainly 
by contributions collected by him in England and 
the United States. A part of the evening was de- 
voted to religious services, embracing the singing of 
Moody and Sankey hymns. Mr. Van Meter led in 
prayer and singing, his daughter performing on the 
piano, and reverend gentlemen present were called 



ROME. 281 



on by him for short addresses between the hymns. 
These social gatherings are held at his house every 
Sunday evening, affording a favorable opportunity 
for travelers to meet and exchange compliments, if 
not to become acquainted with one another. Mr. 
Van Meter invited us to visit his schools, and from 
what we have seen and heard we think he is doing a 
good work. 

We have spent a forenoon in the'Borghese Picture 
Gallery, said to be the best private collection in 
the city. This Palace is about three hundred years 
old. It is "an immense edifice, standing round 
the four sides of a quadrangle; and though the 
suite of rooms, which comprise the Picture Gallery, 
forms an almost interminable vista, they occupy 
only a part of the ground floor of one side. The 
picture rooms open from one into another, and have 
many points of magnificence, being large and lofty, 
with vaulted ceilings and beautiful frescoes, gen- 
erally of mythological subjects, in the flat central 
parts of the vault. The cornices are gilded and 
the doorways are of polished and variegated marble, 
or covered with a composition as hard, and seem- 
ingly as durable." The Gallery is open free to the 
public from nine o'clock till two, except on Sat- 
urdays and Sundays. Among the celebrated paint- 
ings here are "The Entombment," by Raphael; 
"The Mourners over the Dead Christ," by Garofalo; 
"Portrait of Caesar Borgia," attributed to Bronzino 
and also to Raphael; "St. Stephen," by Francesco 
Franzia; "Danae," by Correggio; "The Flagella- 
tion," by Sebastian del Piombo; "David with the 
Head of Goliath," by Giorgione; "Sacred and Pro- 
fane Love," by Titian; "Return of the Prodigal 
Son," by Bonifazio; "Christ and the Mother of Zebe- 



282 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

dee's Children/' by the same artist; and "Earthly 
and Heavenly Love," thought to be one of Titian's 
greatest works. 

On our way home we stopped at an old monastery 
and were shown into what we should style a dirty 
cellar, but which is called the Mausoleum of Augus- 
tus, which is now only a mass of ruins. The guide 
pointed out to us a four -gallon iron kettle, rusted 
full of holes, as the vessel which he said once held 
the ashes of Augustus, whose body at his death 
went through the process of cremation. We are 
bound to admit that the sight afforded us little 
satisfaction, especially as we ran great risk of taking 
a severe cold in going from a warm atmosphere 
into such a damp, chilling cave. We hope Augustus 
will not lay it up against us for cutting our visit 
short. 

The Fountain of Trevi is a wonderfully perfect 
representation of Nature, heightened in interest by 
art. Its water, drawn "from a source far beyond 
the walls," of the city, "sparkles forth as pure as 
the virgin who first led Agrippa to its well springs 
by her father's door." It is said that all who drink 
from this fountain are sure to visit Rome again. 
"It is a great palace front. At the foot of the 
palatial fagade is strewn, with careful art and or- 
dered irregularity, a broad and broken heap of mas- 
sive rock, looking as if it may have lain there since 
the deluge. Over a central precipice falls the water 
in a semi-circular cascade, and from a hundred crev- 
ices, on all sides, snowy jets gush up, and streams 
spout out of the mouths and nostrils of stone mon- 
sters, and fall in glistening drops, while other rivu- 
lets, that have run wild, come leaping from one 
rude step to another, over stones that are mossy, 



ROME. 283 



shining, and green with sedge, because in a century 
of their wild play, Nature has adopted the Fountain 
of Trevi with all its elaborate devices for her own." 
The water falls into a large marble reservoir. 

One of our visits long to be remembered was to 
the Church of the Capuchins, or rather to the cem- 
etery under it, but on a level with the ground out- 
side. There are two or three famous pictures in 
the church; one, "The Archangel Michael Trampling 
upon the Devil," by Guido; one, by Gherardo della 
Notte, representing "Christ in the Purple Robe;" and 
"The Visit of Ananias to Saul," by Pietro da Cor- 
tona. The cemetery consists of four small rooms 
walled each on three sides, the other side being open 
to the passage way along by the front windows. 
The walls and ceilings are ornamented with the 
bones of about four thousand Capuchin monks, 
whose remains were buried here. Until within a 
recent period, when Victor Emmanuel's government 
prohibited any more burials here, in the case of a 
new interment, the bones of the monk longest buried 
were thus brought into requisition in order to make 
room for the latest corpse. There are no floors to 
these chambers, and the earth beneath, in which 
one body after another has been buried, was brought 
from Jerusalem. Besides the thousands of bones 
arranged in various artistic forms on the walls and 
ceilings, in the niches of the rooms there are mum- 
my-like skeletons of several monks, said to have 
been among the most distinguished of the order. 
These are either seated or standing, "enveloped in 
their brown cowls, their cords around their waists, 
and with a breviary or withered bunch of flowers in 
their hands." In a word, they appear in the costume 
and appendages they wore when living. Altogether 



284 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

this was a sight that one would not care to see more 
than once. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

SO OME, December 18. — On the 15th we visited 
^rV the Farnesina Palace, which is open to visitors 
only on the 1st and 15th of each month. We were 
admitted to only two rooms, and these contain what 
are regarded as some of "the most beautiful existing 
frescoes of Raphael and his school." One of these 
"represents the Goddess of the Sea borne over the 
waves in her shell; tritons and sea -nymphs sport 
joyously around her; amorini, discharging their ar- 
rows, appear in the air like an angel -glory." An- 
other represents Diana in her car, drawn by oxen; 
and then there are twelve scenes from the story of 
Psyche, in which that mythological character, Ve- 
nus, Cupid, Ceres, Jupiter, Mercury, and Olympus 
are conspicuous figures — all wonderfully beautiful. 
The rooms were very cold, and we cut our visit 
short. 

We next rode to the Church of San Pietro in 
Montorio, "built by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain 
on the site of an oratory founded by Constantine 
upon the supposed spot of St. Peter's crucifixion." 
It contains several chapels, richly furnished with 
paintings, some of which, such as "The Scourging 
of Christ," "The Transfiguration," and "The Virgin 
and Child with St. Anne," are very fine; and there 
are also monuments to various distinguished per- 
sons. " Here, in front of the high altar, the unhappy 



ROME. 285 



Beatrice Cenci was buried without any monument." 
The custodian conducted us to the cloister, a small 
room under or adjoining the church, as having been 
built "on the spot where St. Peter's cross is said to 
have stood;" and with a cup attached to the end of 
a stick six or eight feet in length he drew from 
beneath the floor, through which there was an open- 
ing for the purpose, a small quantity of sand, which 
he distributed to the company present as a precious 
relic. Of course we received our share in a solemn 
manner and as solemnly handed to the obliging 
monk the accustomed fee without question. True, 
we knew that many authorities contend that St. 
Peter never was in Rome; but to have permitted 
any doubt that we stood over the exact spot of his 
crucifixion would have destroyed the main novelty 
of our visit; therefore we dismissed doubt — as far 
as possible. It is said that when St. Peter was 
brought to the place of execution he requested that 
"he might be crucified with his head downward, 
alleging that he was not worthy to suffer in the 
same manner his Divine Master had died before 
him," and that the officers granted this "extraor- 
dinary request." 

In the afternoon, in company with Dr. Parker 
and party, we were driven by the Trajan and Ro- 
man Forums and many other interesting points, 
out through the Porta Capena, the old arched gate- 
way by which St. Paul entered when he came to 
the city, four or five miles along the Appian Way. 
In some respects we were disappointed in the ap- 
pearance of this famous turnpike. It is far from 
smooth and only of sufficient width for two carriages 
to pass comfortably. Walls, ten feet high on either 
side, for several miles obstruct the view. On the 



286 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

further end of our trip the walls are lower, ad- 
mitting of a sight of the Campagna, with its crum- 
bling monuments; and just beyond are the ruins 
of the old Roman acqueduct, the arches of which 
extend for miles around nearly to the walls of the 
city on the left. On our way we went into a little 
Church, called the SS. ISTereo ed Achilleo. "The 
tradition runs that St. Peter, going to execution, 
let drop here one of the bandages of his wounds, 
and that the spot was marked by the early Chris- 
tians with an oratory, which bore the name of 
Fasciola." In another small Church we were shown 
a copy of the footprints, in marble, "said to have 
been left by our Saviour, the originals being re- 
moved to St. Sebastiano." That we might be able 
to verify the fact, we purchased of a black -eyed 
maiden on the spot a photograph of these remark- 
able footprints. We passed, without entering, a 
small circular structure where St. Peter is said to 
have been imprisoned; and off a quarter of a mile 
or more from the main road we went into a dilapi- 
dated brick building, now used for a stable or store- 
house, once the Temple of Bacchus — the tomb of 
Urbano. The Appian Way, as far as we rode upon 
it, is lined on either side with ancient tombs, raised 
by stones, brick, and mortar, some of them to a 
height of thirty or forty feet, all defaced by the 
storms and winds of two thousand years. One of 
the most prominent is that of Cecilia Metella. Ev- 
erywhere the eye could reach are ruins of some 
kind; and Minister Marsh told us that one could 
not turn up the soil anywhere in the vicinity of 
the city without almost invariably bringing to light 
ancient relics of more or less interest. At a distance 
of sixteen miles eastward, toward mountains cov- 



ROME. 287 



ered with snow, we could see the village of Tivoli, 
and nearer, a little toward the south, the village 
of Frascata and the smaller settlement of Albano, to 
which places the Roman people, who are able, go to 
escape from the summer heat and sickness of the 
city. Hearing that there had been recent robberies 
on the road, before starting on our trip we divested 
ourselves of our watches and other little valuables; 
but we are satisfied the precaution was wholly un- 
necessary. True, we passed two or three squads of 
banditti -looking fellows, who were at work on the 
highway; but had they a disposition to commit rob- 
bery, there was little time for it free from interrup- 
tion, since sight -seers, as well as country people, 
are constantly passing and repassing during the day. 
In the forenoon of the 17th we visited the studios 
of Rogers and Miss Hosmer, in both of which we 
saw many fine statues and other works in marble. 
Miss Hosmer appears to enjoy vigorous health, and 
said that, with ordinary care, any one may reside in 
Rome as safely, so far as health is concerned, as in 
most other cities. Mr. Rogers also seemed quite 
well. We should take him to be between fifty and 
sixty years of age. He expressed his intention of 
shortly taking up his residence in Washington City, 
where we are sure he would meet with a hearty 
welcome. We visited the studio, also, of a fine 
looking Italian gentleman who used to work for 
Crawford. It was full of beautiful statues, one of 
which, "You Can't Come In," represents a beautiful 
maiden just ready to take a bath in her room. She 
is evidently surprised by some intruder, and hastily 
gathers around her, as best she may, one of her 
garments not usually worn on the outside. In her 
confusion she leaves enough of her form uncovered 



288 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

to show that, sweet and beautiful as her face is, it 
cannot claim superiority, in that regard, over some 
other parts of her figure. 

In the afternoon we went to the Barberini Palace 
to see galleries of pictures, among which is the 
famous ''Portrait of Beatrice Cenci." But for her 
interesting history, we doubt whether this picture 
would attract such universal attention, although it 
cannot be denied that there is something about her 
expression which, closely observed, is calculated to 
excite more than passing interest. We had heard it 
stated that no artist was permitted to sit by and 
copy this portrait, and that the copies obtained had 
been executed by experts, who would carefully scan 
it and then hasten to their studios to convey their 
impressions to canvas. However this may have 
been formerly, it is not so now. The custodian 
showed us several copies for sale bearing a certifi- 
cate under the seal of the proper authorities that 
they were directly from the original in the gallery, 
where we purchased a large photograph, which he 
assured us was likewise taken, as it evidently was, 
from the original. Of this portrait Shelly observed 
that it is "most interesting as a just representation 
of one of the loveliest specimens of the workman- 
ship of Nature. There is a fixed and pale composure 
upon the features; she seems sad and stricken down 
in spirit, yet the despair thus expressed is lightened 
by the patience of gentleness." Hawthorne wrote: 
"The whole face is very quiet; there is no distortion 
or disturbance of any single feature; nor is it easy 
to see why the expression is not cheerful, or why a 
single touch of the artist's pencil should not brighten 
it into joyousness. But, in fact, it is the very sad- 
dest picture ever painted or conceived; it involves 



ROME. 289 



an unfathomable depth of sorrow, the sense of which 
comes to the observer by a sort of intuition. It 
is a sorrow that removes this beautiful girl out 
of the sphere of humanity, and sets her in a far-off 
region, the remoteness of which, while yet her face 
is so close before us, makes us shiver as at a spec- 
ter." Dickens expresses a similar idea, — "Through 
the transcendent sweetness and beauty of the face 
there is a something shining out that haunts me. I 
see it now, as I see this paper or my pen." The 
other most noted picture in these Galleries is the 
portrait of the unfortunate Lucrezia Cenci, the step- 
mother of Beatrice, who suffered and was executed 
with her. The charge against them, believed to 
be true, was that they conspired together to rid 
themselves and the world of Beatrice's own father, 
not only on account of his debauchery and wicked- 
ness generally, but that his diabolism took form in 
"an implacable hatred toward his children," and 
especially toward Beatrice, in a manner too cruel 
and too base for utterance. These scenes occurred 
during the pontificate of Clement VIII., in 1599. 

The Barberini Palace is extensive and grand, and 
contains not only a large number of rooms, filled 
with paintings and other works of art, but also 
an immense hall devoted mainly to statuary, and 
a library of valuable books and about seven thou- 
sand manuscripts, among which are letters of Gali- 
leo, Bembo, Urban VIII., and others. One wing 
o£ the building is now occupied by distinguished 
members of the Barberini family. Upon the grand 
staircase there is the representation of a lion in 
high relief, "found on the property at Palestrina. 
It is before this lion that Canova is said to have 
lain for hours upon the pavement, studying for his 
19 



290 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

tomb of Clement XIII. in St. Peter's." In the hall 
of statuary are "four vast frescoes of the fathers 
of the Church — having been removed from the dome 
of St. Peter's, where they were replaced with mo- 
saics by Urban VIII." 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

OME, December 22. — On the forenoon of the 
^JpV 18th the writer, in company with a fellow 
traveler, called on the Roman Catholic prelate of 
the American College, Father Chatard, formerly 
of Baltimore, for the purpose of obtaining a permit 
for one of the ladies of our party to visit his Holi- 
ness the Pope. Father Chatard received us very 
courteously, and after a pleasant chat we made 
known our business, when he inquired if the lady 
understood what would be required of her in case 
she should be admitted to the desired audience. At 
the same time, to remove any embarrassment she 
might feel, he went on to observe,, we thought rather 
apologetically, knowing we were not of his religious 
faith, that she would be expected to appear without 
gloves, in a black dress, black veil over her head, 
and to kneel before the Pope on his approach for 
introduction. This, he said, was the prescribed eti- 
quette, and he thought it much more simple thun 
that which is required to be observed in presenta- 
tions to Queen Victoria and most other sovereigns. 
We replied . that this was all understood, and he 
promised to send us the solicited note of admission. 
It is said gloves are prohibited for fear of poison. 



ROME. 291 



Now we hesitated about speaking of this purpose of 
calling on the Pope, for we have reason to think the 
lady in question is a little sensitive on the subject; 
but since we have commenced "telling tales out of 
school/' we might as well acknowledge that but for 
two or three reasons the writer himself would also 
have applied for a pass. In the first place, he had 
left his dress coat, one essential article, at Geneva, 
nor was he the possessor of a white cravat, another 
necessary piece of apparel for such an occasion; but 
the most serious obstacle was a stiffness of the knee 
joints, the cause of which he failed to trace to a 
short but painful attack of rheumatism with which 
he had been afflicted some two months previous at 
Interlachen! The result was that he left without 
asking for a permit for himself, hoping sometime to 
meet his Holiness, who is no doubt a very good old 
gentleman and sincere Christian, where less cere- 
mony may be required. 

The 19th was Sunday, and we again attended 
services at the American Union Chapel, where we 
listened to another able sermon by Rev. Mr. Lang- 
muir. After lunch we walked to Pincian Hill, the 
Hyde Park of Rome, where, in the course of the 
afternoon, thousands of persons assembled to prom- 
enade, on foot and in carriage, to enjoy the music of 
a fine band, and to see and be seen. We hoped to 
get a sight of King Victor Emmanuel,* who usually 
rides out on these occasions, but we were disap- 
pointed. We, however, saw Prince Humbert and 
the Princess Margherita, the latter of whom is very 
popular. Although the weather is said to be unu- 



* He died, after a short sickness, January 9, 1878, and was succeeded 
by his son, Prince Humbert. 



292 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

sually cold, tropical trees and plants are growing in 
the open air, and orange trees in the gardens are 
loaded with their golden fruit. 

On the forenoon of the 21st we visited the museum 
of statues and cabinets of sculpture at the Vatican. 
The collection of statues and other objects of art 
here is as extensive as it is wonderful. It would be 
tedious to enumerate or attempt to describe at length. 
Many of the works here are famous everywhere; for 
instance, "The Laocoon," "The Apollo Belvidere," 
and "The Antinous," or "Mercury" — the latter 
statue being, "perhaps, the most beautiful in the 
world. It was found on the Esquiline, near San 
Martino al Monte." "The Laocoon" group was also 
"discovered near the Sette Sale on the Esquiline in 
1506, while Michael Angelo was in Rome." This is 
believed to be the group described by Pliny as, in his 
estimation, superior to all other works both in paint- 
ing and statuary. He remarks that "the whole 
group — the father, the boys, and the awful folds of 
the serpents — were formed out of a single block, in 
accordance with a vote of the Senate, by Agesander, 
Polydorus, and Athenodorus, Rhodian sculptors of 
the highest merit." 

" Turning to the Vatican, go see 
Laocoon's torture dignifying pain — 
A father's love and mortal's agony 
With an immortal's patience blending. Vain 
The struggle; vain against the coiling strain 
And gripe, and deepening of the dragon's grasp, 
The old man's clench; the long envenomed chain 
Rivets the living links — the enormous asp 
Enforces pang, and stifles gasp on gasp." 

"The Apollo Belvidere" was "found in the six- 
teenth century at Porta d' Anzio and purchased by 
Julius II." "The Perseus" and "The Pugilists, 



ROME. 293 



Kreugas and Damoxenus," by Canova, are also cele- 
brated statues. 

In the afternoon we spent the time at the Pantheon 
and two or three churches. The Pantheon is a Pa- 
gan Temple, having been erected by Marcus Agrippa 
twenty- seven years before the Christian era. Closed 
as a Temple in the year 399, it was consecrated as a 
Christian Church in 608. In form it is circular, with 
a portico one hundred and eight feet wide by forty- 
two feet deep. The portico is supported by sixteen 
Corinthian granite columns, thirteen feet in circum- 
ference and thirty- nine feet in height. Eight of 
these columns are in front and the others form three 
colonnades in the rear thereof. The walls of the 
building are of brick and twenty feet in thickness. 
The rotunda, which embraces the entire space with- 
in, is one hundred and forty- three feet in diameter 
and its height is the same. There are seven niches, 
in which are statues, in the walls, and on the outer 
circle also are chapels like those in common Roman 
Catholic cathedrals. In these chapels are a number 
of tombs, among them those of Raphael, Caracci, 
Zucchero, Peruzzi, Vaga, and Udine, all painters, 
and the remains of all of whom were interred here. 
The rotunda is lighted entirely by an aperture twen- 
ty-eight feet in diameter in the center of the roof. 
In allusion to this, Hawthorne evolves this beautiful 
picture: " 'I like better,' replied Hilda, 'to look at the 
bright blue sky roofing the edifice where the builders 
left it open. It is very delightful, in a breezy day, 
to see the masses of white clouds float over the 
opening, and then the sunshine fall through it again, 
fitfully as it does now. Would it be a wonder if we 
were to see angels hovering there, partly in and 
partly out, with genial, heavenly faces, not inter- 



294 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

cepting the light, but transmuting it into beautiful 
colors? Look at that broad, golden beam — a sloping 
cataract of sunlight — which comes down from the 
aperture and rests upon the shrine at the right hand 
of the entrance. ' " As there is no provision for clos- 
ing this opening, the rain from above meets with no 
obstacle till it reaches the marble floor, in the center 
of which there are holes for it to pass off. This floor 
is now on a level with or below the ground outside, 
which, by the debris of centuries, has been raised to 
the extent of five steps, by which the Temple was 
originally entered. To us this is one of the most 
interesting places we have yet visited, because it 
takes us way back beyond the period when we com- 
menced to reckon time. True, we may anywhere 
see things in Nature going back thousands of years, 
if not thousands of centuries, before this date; but 
here is the work of men who lived before Christ 
appeared on the earth — men who must have been 
the equals, at least in architecture and mechanics, 
of any living at the present day — perhaps their 
superiors. 

Near the Pantheon we entered rooms, formerly 
above but now below the level of the earth, where 
St. Paul is said to have lived two years. The well, 
still supplied with water from which he quenched 
his thirst, was shown to us, and also the chain by 
which he was bound to his jailor to prevent his 
escape. 

We have been again to the gallery of statuary in 
the Vatican and into a good many rooms filled with 
all sorts of old Roman relics, which were unearthed 
in and around the city. We saw, too, a large num- 
ber of statues which we failed to see on our first 
visit. One of them is a fine full length statue of 



ROME. 295 



Augustus, brought to light only a few years ago. 
From the Vatican we went through and to the top 
of the Castle of San Angelo, the circular military 
citadel, which next to St. Peter's and the Coliseum 
is perhaps the most prominent object in the city. 
From the roof we obtained a splendid view of both 
city and country. Directly by its walls we looked 
down upon the still open field, in which Cincinnatus 
left his plow to enter the public service. As previ- 
ously observed, this structure, or rather the skeleton 
thereof, was originally the tomb of Hadrian and 
other Emperors. It has since been changed in form 
and much enlarged. We had to get a permit to 
enter it, and we were treated very politely by both 
officers and soldiers, who guided us through numer- 
ous apartments, including the room in which Bea- 
trice Cenci was put to torture, but in vain, to make 
her confess. We also entered the dungeons in which 
she and her step -mother respectively were impris- 
oned. That of Beatrice was six to eight feet square, 
within walls about ten feet in height. Overhead, at 
one side, is a small window, through which a dim 
light might have entered, and on another side, also 
overhead, is a small aperture through which she 
received her food. We were obliged to bend our- 
selves nearly double in order to enter the dungeon 
through its low, narrow doorway. Our guide said 
she was confined here eleven months. In times of 
revolution this castle has been the refuge of the 
Popes, and we were shown an immense iron chest 
in which they kept their treasure. This chest is ten 
feet or more in length, six feet high, and three or 
four feet wide. One of the old Popes, the guide 
informed us, had at one time five millions of scudi 
in it to protect it from the revolutionists. From the 



296 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Castle to the Vatican are two passages, one over the 
other, constructed for the escape of the Popes, as 
they have several times been used, in times of dan- 
ger. The upper passage is " open like a loggia, the 
lower covered, and only lighted by loop - holes. The 
keys of both are kept by the Pope himself. " 



CHAPTER XLVIL 

OME, December 23. — Since making note of our 
^PV call on Father Chatard to obtain a permit 
for one of the ladies of our party to attend a recep- 
tion of Pius IX., the atmosphere of Rome, or some- 
thing else, has had quite an oily effect upon the 
knee-joints of the writer, as the stiffness (?) felt 
there some days ago yielded so much on the 22d 
that the other difficulties mentioned as in the way 
of his attending also having been easily surmounted, 
he was surprised to find himself on the way to 
the Vatican among the faithful of that occasion. 
The truth is he had a strong desire to see the Pope, 
and when the time came for his lady friend to 
go, she having received her promised pass, she was 
without an escort, and felt a delicacy about going 
in alone. What was to be done? Another lady 
of our party wished to go, but neither she nor the 
writer had a permit, and permits are usually ob- 
tained only on application several days in advance. 
Everything seemed to point to the writer as the 
proper escort. The excuse of no dress coat and 
no white cravat was immediately answered by an 
offer of the loan of the first by Mr. William H. 



ROME. 297 



Ferry, Jr., nephew of Senator Ferry, and of the 
latter by our fellow traveler, Dr. Parker. Mr. Ferry 
was an independent gentleman, on his wedding tour 
with his charming wife, both at our hotel, and 
Dr. Parker, having resigned his pastorate of the 
Calvary Church, no doubt considered himself secure 
from a " church mauling" for so venial a sin, spring- 
ing as it did from the goodness of his heart, that 
of proffering or consenting to loan a white neck -tie 
for such an occasion. Thus, the way being ap- 
parently clear, at least for a trial, a carriage was 
called, and the writer, with his two lady compan- 
ions, was hastily driven to the office of Father Cha- 
tard and the case laid before him. He was exceed- 
ingly kind and courteous. He could not on so short 
notice give us regular permits, but he wrote and 
handed us a note to the doorkeeper at the Vatican, 
who receives the passes, adding that he himself 
would be present and give us a special introduction 
to the "Holy Father," as he styles the Pope. This 
not only made it all right for us, but very agreeable, 
and we went on our way rejoicing. We found no 
difficulty in gaining admission to the officiating 
priest whose duty it is to examine the passes, and, 
guided by ushers dressed in scarlet velvet, we were 
soon seated in the reception room, where we had to 
wait over an hour before the Pope made his appear- 
ance, owing, as we have since learned, to his having 
previously to receive a delegation of students from 
South America, who read to him an address, to 
which he responded. The reception room is a long- 
corridor, with space for two rows of chairs, about 
one hundred, on either side, and for two or three 
persons abreast to pass between them. On the 
outside are large arched windows the whole way. 



298 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



At the further end is an arm-chair for the Pope, 
with his bust in marble and coat of arms over 
it. At the opposite end is an iron rail gate with 
curtains thrown across, and this is the end at which 
the Pope — as well as the visitors — enters. The 
curtains were not entirely drawn aside until just 
before he made his appearance. He came in, ac- 
companied by about a dozen cardinals or priests, 
and among them our friend, Father Chatard, who 
stopped and spoke to us as he passed down the 
corridor in the train of the Pope, who, on entering, 
saluted the company with a few words, which we 
did not exactly understand, but took to be a salu- 
tatory welcome. Immediately on his appearance 
inside the curtained gateway, we all rose from our 
seats, and the line of visitors opposite to us com- 
menced kneeling and knelt as he approached them 
on the whole line. When he reached the end they 
all rose to their feef, and as he came back on our 
side the same ceremony of kneeling was observed. 
All took his right hand, or put one hand under 
his and kissed or raised it near their lips, while 
some of the more devoted did not stop at kissing 
his hand, but prostrated themselves before him 
and kissed one of his feet. Some of the women, 
evidently humble Italian or French women, were 
affected to tears. When he came to us, Father 
Chatard was at his side, and, kneeling also, intro- 
duced us. After we had shaken hands, Father 
Chatard informed him more particularly who we 
were, when his Holiness again took our hand and 
expressed his gratification at seeing us. Of course 
we reciprocated the compliment, which we have 
every reason to. believe was sincere on his part, 
as it certainly was on ours, for we regard him as 



ROME. 299 



a very kind-hearted, good old gentleman. When 
he was through with his separate greetings and 
blessing — he breathed a short blessing on each one 
as he or she was presented to him, and also blessed 
beads, crosses, and other small articles which many 
of the guests brought for the purpose — he faced 
the audience and made a short speech in French. 
He commenced by invoking the blessing of God 
on all present, individually and collectively, and 
upon our countries respectively, representing as we 
did several nationalities. We were not able to com- 
prehend all he said, as he spoke quite rapidly; but 
referring to his morning interview with the South 
American students, he said it had fatigued him, 
and he must therefore be excused from addressing 
us at length. In conclusion he said he earnestly 
hoped and prayed that we might all meet in heaven 
as we had met here. When he said this he raised 
his eyes toward heaven, and was very animated, 
as he was in fact throughout his speech, frequently 
bringing his cane down to the floor more fully to 
express his earnestness. His cane, the handle of 
which was ivory, he carried in his left hand. He 
wore a white silk cap, an inner robe of white cash- 
mere, with a silk sash, and his cloak, or exterior 
robe, was scarlet merino or broadcloth. His hair 
is very white, his countenance benignant and very 
pleasant, and his whole appearance commanding. 
He has the shuffling walk of an aged person, but he 
does not show so much of the feebleness of age 
in his face as most men do at his time of life; 
he is now eighty- four. As soon as he had con- 
cluded his address, he retired with the members 
of his court, and the gratified visitors dispersed to 
their respective domiciles. To our collection of pho- 



300 s SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

tographs we have added a remarkably correct like- 
ness of him.* 

In the afternoon we visited the Church of Santa 
Maria Maggiore, which, next to St. Peter's, is the 
most beautiful in Rome. It "was founded a. d. 352 
by Pope Liberius and John, a Roman patrician, to 
commemorate a miraculous fall of snow, which cov- 
ered this spot and no other on the 5th of August, 
when the Virgin, appearing in a vision, showed them 
that she had thus appropriated the site of a new 
temple." This is one interpretation of the legend. 
Another is that the Virgin appeared simultaneously 
to Liberius and John in their dreams, commanding 
them to erect a church to her on the spot where they 
should find a deposit of snow on the following morn- 
ing. August 5th. There are long rows of magnifi- 
cent marble columns, many imposing tombs, and 
the church abounds also in beautiful mosaics, illus- 
trative of Scripture history and Christian doctrines. 
Among the tombs are those of Nicholas IV., Clement 
VIII., Paul V., Sixtus V., Clement IX., and "in 
front of and beneath the high altar Pius IX. has 
lately been preparing his own monument, by con- 
structing a splendid chamber approached by stair- 
cases and lined with the most precious alabaster and 
marbles." In or near the high altar is a sarcophagus 
said to contain the remains of St. Matthew. Over 
this magnificent chamber is a canopy like that at 
St. Peter's. Among the illustrations in mosaic are 
representations of "The Throne of the Lamb," as 
described in the Apocalypse, Peter and Paul beside 



* He died February 7, 1878. On the 20th of February, Cardinal 
Gioachimo Pecci was elected as his successor, and has taken the title of 
Leo XIII. 



ROME. 301 



it; "The Annunciation," "The Angel appearing to 
Zacharias," "The Massacre of the Innocents," "The 
Presentation in the Temple," "The Adoration of the 
Magi," and "Herod Receiving the Head of St. John 
the Baptist." Some of the ceilings are richly fres- 
coed. "It was in this church that Pope St. Martin 
I. was celebrating mass in the seventh century, 
when a guard, sent by the Exarch Olympius, ap- 
peared on the threshold with orders to seize and put 
him to death. At the sight of the Pontiff the soldier 
was stricken with blindness, a miracle which led to 
the conversion of Olympius and many other per- 
sons." 

In the evening Father Chatard called and passed 
an hour with us all in Dr. Parker's private parlor. 
He is from Baltimore, where he was educated as a 
physician, but afterward studied for the priesthood, 
and has resided here since 1857. We should judge 
him to be from forty- five to fifty years of age. He 
is a tall, fine -looking man, and his long black robe 
with small cape gave him quite a dignified appear- 
ance. His cloak, which he laid off, is of fine broad- 
cloth, reaching nearly to his feet, and his chapeau is 
of fur, with a wide brim, turned up with a silk cord 
to present three corners, like all the hats worn by the 
priests and students of the Roman Catholic Church 
here. He is at the head of the American College, 
and is evidently a gentleman of much influence in 
the Church. It having been represented in the 
United States that the Roman Catholics were edu- 
cating here some two hundred negroes for the pur- 
pose of proselyting among their colored brethren in 
the Southern States, Dr. Parker inquired of him as 
to the fact. He replied that there was no truth in 
the report — that there were only two or three col- 



302 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



ored persons at school here, and that they were 
studying with a view to service in South America. 
He did not appear to feel any special interest in the 
colored over the white race, but, on the contrary, 
thought it no easy matter for both to occupy the 
same social platform. In this connection he related 
an amusing anecdote of the confession one day, we 
do not remember how long ago, at St. Peter's. The 
sight of a negro here is very unusual, and there are 
thousands of citizens, probably, who never set eyes 
on one. It happened that a negro priest, on a visit 
here, took a seat at St. Peter's in one of the confes- 
sionals to hear confessions. When thus seated the 
priests are concealed from view, and one may make 
confession without knowing to whom or to what 
kind of a person he is confessing. On this occasion 
a lady of noble birth knelt and made her confession 
to this black priest, and rising to retire, she hap- 
pened to espy his face through a crevice in the door, 
when she became terribly frightened, declaring that 
she had been confessing to the devil! Father Cha- 
tard also narrated interesting incidents of the bom- 
bardment of the city at the time when Victor Em- 
manuel assumed possession. He said that he was 
awakened very early in the morning by an unusual 
noise, which he instantly became satisfied was the 
sound of battle, and being in a room into which 
shells might fall and explode, he immediately arose 
and went to the roof of the house, where he found 
several of his pupils on the same mission, to view 
the grand display of fireworks. He did not, how- 
ever, deem it prudent to stop long, and they all 
betook themselves to a lower room, strongly arched, 
where they were safe from both shell and balls. 
About ten in the forenoon the cannonading ceased, 



ROME. 303 



a white flag having been raised from the dome of 
St. Peter's as a signal of the Pope's capitulation. 
He said the Holy Father desired to avoid bloodshed, 
and made only sufficient resistance to show that he 
yielded only to force. Less than fifty persons, we 
think he said, were killed on either side. We were * 
highly gratified by this visit from Father Chatard, 
as we were likewise by his courtesy when we called 
on him. In reference to the surrender of Pius IX. , 
pur hostess, a very intelligent English lady, whose 
husband is an Italian, told us that the King entered 
the city early one morning without a guard, and 
that he was received by the people with unbounded 
acclamation. In answer to their greeting, as he 
rode through the city, he said, "I came just as soon 
as I could!" and he continued to repeat this response 
over and over again until he alighted at the Quirinal 
Palace. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

|CP OME, December 24. — On the 23d, in company 
^PV with Dr. Parker and party, we spent several 
hours roaming over and through the Palace of the 
Caesars, or, more correctly speaking, among the 
ruins of many palaces once the abode of the Roman 
Emperors. Palace upon palace has been built here 
— one upon the ruins of another; but we know 
not why the term "Palace of the Caesars" is used, 
unless it is because the present ruins, for the most 
part, are believed to be those of the Palace of Vespa- 
sian, which was built upon the top of the buried 



304 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Palace of Augustus, some of the ruins of which 
have been excavated, and are now entered from 
one of the halls of the Palace of Vespasian. New 
excavations constantly bring to light more and more 
of interest. In some of the rooms lowest down, the 
walls of which are standing, we saw fine artistic 
paintings on the plastering that must have been 
executed more than two thousand years ago. These 
ruins entirely cover Palatine Hill, many acres in 
extent; and on some days in the height of the visit- 
ing season there are no doubt scores of travelers 
here to examine them. What seemed strange to us 
was that on the day of our visit, in a place of so 
much interest, our party should have had it all to 
ourselves. Not exactly all, however, as we shall 
see. We were intently engaged in our investiga- 
tions when, at some distance in a remote part of the 
ruins, we espied the tall figure of a gentleman in a 
long dark cloak and military cap. He stood erect 
with his back half turned toward us, and we could 
see that he was evidently deeply absorbed in study 
of the surrounding ruins, assisted by what we took 
to be a guide-book, which he held in his hands. 
His whole bearing was that of a military chieftain or 
other high officer of state; and it was a mystery 
how he could have reached his point of observation 
without having been seen by us before. Was it 
possible we could be deceived, or were we dreaming? 
It did indeed almost seem as though the spirits of 
the departed occupants of these buried palaces were 
present and watching our footsteps! We are not 
superstitious; but could it be possible that one of the 
Caesars had been permitted to return and that he 
actually stood before us! In such case to whom 
could we resort for protection? True, we were a 



ROME. 305 



party of six; but four of these were delicate ladies, 
His Holiness the Pope was too far off and too feeble 
to come to our aid; and although we had found our 
only male associate. Dr. Parker, a most agreeable 
traveling companion, we could not dispel the appre- 
hension that, under such circumstances, the fact of 
his being a Calvinist Baptist preacher, if known to 
any Roman Emperor present, whether in the flesh 
or in the spirit, would be almost stire to prove fatal 
to our whole party. But it was too much to believe 
that we were in this predicament, and we ventured 
to approach the distinguished stranger, when, much 
to our surprise, as well as pleasure, he proved to 
be none other than our own countryman, General 
M. C. Meigs, of the United States Army. Well, be 
it as it may, had he lived in Pome in the time of the 
Caesars, who knows that he might not have been 
"the noblest Poman of them all?" 

We were now at liberty to pursue our observa- 
tions. In the basilica, which means "King's house," 
the ancient Law Court, we stood on the spot where 
St. Paul was tried and acquitted. A portion of the 
marble bar, or railing behind which the judges sat, 
is still to be seen, although the walls of the room are 
razed nearly to the ground. It is proper to remark 
that Hare, in his "Walks in Rome," says: "This 
basilica, though perhaps not then in existence, will 
always have peculiar interest as showing the form 
and character of that earlier basilica in the Palace 
of the Csesars, in which St. Paul was tried before 
Nero. But it is quite possible that it may be the 
same actual basilica itself [as affirmed by other 
authorities] and that the Palace of Nero, which 
overran the whole of the hill, may have had its 
basilica on this site, where it was preserved by 



306 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Vespasian in his later and more contracted palace." 
" A leg of the Emperor's chair actually remains 
in situ upon the tribunal, and part of the richly 
wrought bar of the confession still exists." Early 
historians state that St. Paul was brought in fetters, 
under the custody of his military guard, and ar- 
raigned before the blood-stained adulterer, Nero; 
and that the prosecutors and their witnesses were 
then called forward to support their accusations, 
which had been sent by Festus in written depositions 
from Judea. As we all know, St. Paul was "ac- 
cused of disturbing the Jews in the exercise of their 
worship, which was secured to them by law; of 
desecrating their Temple, and, above all, of vio- 
lating the public peace of the Empire by perpetual 
agitation, as the ringleader of a new and factious 
sect." But, as already observed, "the trial resulted 
in his acquittal. He was pronounced guiltless of 
the charges brought against him, his fetters were 
struck off, and he was liberated from his long cap- 
tivity." 

In another section, just outside of the grand din- 
ing hall, or adjoining the spot where the hall used 
to be, the walls of which have disappeared almost 
to the ground, we saw the remains of the walls 
of a small room, which bore the suggestive name 
of Vomitorium, "with its basin, whither the feasters 
retired to tickle their throats with feathers, and 
come back with renewed appetite to the banquet." 
The half - section of the conduit to the sewer is still 
visible in the crumbling brick walls of this small 
apartment. 

Near the basilica was a large hall, called the 
Tablinum, "a kind of commemorative domestic mu- 
seum, where family statues and pictures were pre- 



ROME. 307 

served." Opening from this gallery "was the Lara- 
rium, a private chapel for the worship of such 
members of the family — Livia and many others — 
as were deified after death. An altar, on the orig- 
inal site, has been erected here by Signor Rosa 
from bits which have been found." Next, "passing 
a space of ground, called, without much authority, 
Bibliotheca, we .reach a small Theater on the edge 
of the hill, interesting as described by Pliny, and 
because the Emperor Vespasian — known to have 
been especially fond of reciting his own composi- 
tions — probably did so here. Hence we may look 
down upon the valley between the Palatine and 
Aventine, where the rape of the Sabines took place, 
and upon the site of the Circus Maximus. Beyond 
this, on the right, is (partialty restored) the grand 
staircase leading to the platform once occupied by 
the Temple of Jupiter -Victor, vowed by Fabius 
Maximus during the Samnite war, in the assurance 
that he would gain the victory. On the steps is a 
sacrificial altar, which retains its grooves for the 
blood of the victims." At one point are the ruins of 
the Palace of Tiberius. Here there is a row of 
arches said to be those of the soldiers' quarters. 
Above these are several rooms richly frescoed. The 
Palace of Caligula was in the northwestern corner 
of the area. It was "built against the side of the 
hill above the Clivus Victorise, which still remains, 
and consisting of ranges of small rooms, communi- 
cating with open galleries edged by marble balus- 
trades, of which a portion exists. In these rooms 
the half mad Caius Caligula rushed about, some- 
times dressed as a charioteer, sometimes as a war- 
rior, and delighted in astonishing his courtiers by 
his extraordinary pranks, or shocking them by try- 



308 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




COLISEUM OF VESPASIAN 



ROME. 309 



ing to enforce a belief in his own divinity." Other 
almost endless ruins, equally interesting, are de- 
scribed in the guide-books; but our stay was too 
short to allow of extended descriptions of our own, 
and what we have presented may afford a general 
idea of the whole. 

From the site of these ruins we saw the Tarpeian 
Rock, not far off, by the Tiber. It is now only some 
eighty feet in height; but in the time of the Caesars 
its height is said to have been one hundred and 
eighty feet. Immediately at the foot of Palatine 
Hill stands the Temple of Vesta, which appears to 
be in quite a good state of preservation. We did 
not enter it. On the opposite side of the street from 
the Palace of the Caesars are the wonderful ruins of 
the Basilica, or House of Constantine. Some of the 
walls, still standing, of this edifice are seventy- eight 
feet high, with an arched span of eighty feet. From 
these ruins we passed to the Coliseum and the Ro- 
man Forum near by. One thing which struck us as 
remarkable is the enormous size of the Coliseum, 
covering six acres, and the vast extent of the Roman 
Forum and other ruins. One can get no correct 
conception of their dimensions from photographs. 
Under the walls of the Coliseum there are canals, 
by which the water from the Tiber is brought into 
the area. Some of our party went to see the Colise- 
um by moonlight — a good way to get the Roman 
fever — but they only followed in the footsteps of 
Lord Byron: 

" I do remember me, that in my youth, 
When I was wandering — upon- such a night 
I stood within the Coliseum's wall, 
'Midst the chief relics of almighty Rome; 
The trees which grew along the broken arches, 



310 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Waved dark in the blue midnight, and the stars 
Shone through the rents of ruin; from afar 
The watch - dog bay'd beyond the Tiber; and 
More near from out the Caesar's Palace came 
The owl's long cry, and, interruptedly, 
Of distant sentinels the fitful song 
Begun and died upon the gentle wind." 

The work of excavation in the Roman Forum is 
still going on. "The level of the ancient soil is 
twenty- four feet below that of to-day." The ruins 
already exposed fill a very large space. The re- 
mains of walls and broken pillars show, to some 
extent, the shape and size of different halls and 
apartments on the ground floor. A few of the 
pillars and architraves, as seen in the photographs 
and engravings, rise high above the surrounding 
ruins, but look as if almost ready to fall. The street 
pavements, worn smooth by footsteps and carriage 
wheels before the time of Caligula, are of irregular 
cobble stones, some of them a foot or more in extent. 
We spent hours wandering over and through these 
wonderful and intensely interesting ruins. The Tra- 
jan Forum, with its famous historical column, where 
similar excavations have been made, is likewise a 
place of great interest. 



ROME. 311 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

SO OME, December 27. — Christmas forenoon we 
^pV drove to St. Peter's, expecting to see and hear 
something more than usually interesting, but were 
disappointed. There were services in which we un- 
derstood one of the Cardinals represented the Pope, 
who, before he became a "prisoner'/' used to officiate 
in person on Christmas day. These services in- 
cluded high mass, in which there was good singing, 
but no better than we heard here on Sunday. From 
St. Peter's we went to the American Union Chapel, 
where we heard another excellent sermon from Rev. 
Mr. Langmuir, who took for his text the injunction, 
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
bling/' etc. In the afternoon we were present at 
the dedication of a Protestant Church for Italians, 
the first of the kind in Rome for the Italians since 
the days of the Apostles. It is to be under the direc- 
tion of the Rev. Dr. Vernon, a Methodist clergyman 
from Richmond, Virginia, who is to be assisted by 
an Italian preacher. Dr. Vernon made some re- 
marks touching the cost of the building and the 
advantage of having a regular house of worship, 
erected for the purpose, as he said the Roman Catho- 
lic priests represent to their ignorant followers that 
holding religious services in any other house is no 
worship at all. Rev. Mr. Taylor, another American 
missionary here, made the principal address, and 
was followed by some observations from Rev. J. W. 
Parker, of Washington, and Rev. C. E. Sumner, of 
Chicago. The Roman Catholic priests, we are told, 
call the northern Italian invaders "Lombards/' and 
confident of seeing them one day expelled, they tell 



312 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

their friends that when the "Lombards" are driven 
out, they will turn all the Protestant meeting houses 
into stables. Sunday afternoon we again witnessed 
the display of the aristocracy on Pincian Hill, but 
did not have the good luck to see the King, who was 
out for an airing with the rest. It was a beautiful 
afternoon, and the terraced streets, walks, and pla- 
teau swarmed with horses, carriages, and people, all 
to the music of the band. 

On the morning of the 27th, in company with Dr. 
Parker . and party, we engaged a carriage by the 
hour and were conveyed through St. Paul's Gate, 
about two miles beyond the city walls to the cele- 
brated Church of St. Paul, erected to commemorate 
St. Paul's martyrdom, which took place on or near 
the spot where the church stands, and where it is 
said he was buried. It was founded in the year 380. 
Previously the small Church of Constantine occupied 
the same site. St. Paul's was improved from time 
to time until 1823, when it was almost entirely de- 
stroyed by fire. In point of magnificence and rich- 
ness it is represented to have been one of the most 
beautiful churches extant. The work of restoration 
was immediately commenced, and though not yet 
completed, the interior in some respects equals St. 
Peter's in grandeur of appearance. The nave is 
three hundred and six feet in length and two hund- 
red and twenty- two feet in width, with four ranges 
of polished granite columns, brought from the Sim- 
plon, near Lake Maggiore. These pillars, both in 
respect to size and length, we think are equal to 
those of the south and west fronts of our Treasury. 
There are other splendid columns of alabaster, said 
to have been presented by the Viceroy of Egypt, 
and large pedestals of malachite, presented by the 



ROME. 313 



Emperor of Bussia. Some of the mosaics, which 
are most remarkable, and other ornaments of the 
old basilica were rescued from the flames and have 
been introduced into the new church. Among the 
mosaics is a series of portraits of the Popes, and 
being above the long ranges of columns, they are 
five feet in diameter, but seen from the floor appear 
to be only about the natural size. The grand tri- 
umphal arch separating the transept from the nave 
is also a relic of the old basilica. "On the side 
toward the nave it is adorned with a mosaic of 
Christ adored by the twenty- four eiders and the 
four beasts of the Revelation; on that toward the 
transept by the figure of the Saviour between St. 
Peter and St. Paul." In the altars and chapels are 
fine pictures, statuary, and other rare objects of art. 
Connected with the church is a monastery, but there 
are very few dwellings nearer than the city, this 
part of the Campagna having been almost entirely 
deserted owing to the deadly malaria which prevails 
here all seasons of the year. No traveler to Rome 
should leave without visiting St. Paul's. 

On our way out we passed a small chapel, "which 
commemorates the farewell of St. Peter and St. Paul 
on their way to martyrdom. " It bears the following 
inscription : 

"In this place SS. Peter and Paul separated on their way to martyrdom. 

"And Paul said to Peter, 'Peace be with thee, Foundation of the 
Church, Shepherd of the flock of Christ.' 

"And Peter said to Paul, 'Go in peace, Preacher of good tidings and 
Guide of the salvation of the just.' " 

Next we drove to the Temple, or Arch of Janus, 
only the walls of which remain, and on the opposite 
side of the road is the humble Chapel of San Giorgio 
in Velabro, founded in the fourth century. Here, 



314 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

too, is the Cloaca Maxima, or arched drain, con- 
structed twenty- four hundred years ago "to dry the 
marshy land of the Velabrum." It was navigable 
its whole length by a boat. A section of it is still in 
use. 

One of the most attractive objects on the road is 
the famous Pyramid of Caius Cestius, who died 
about thirty years before the Christian era. It is of 
brick encased in marble. Its height is one hundred 
and twenty- five feet, and its width at its square 
base one hundred feet. Near by this Pyramid is the 
Protestant Cemetery, where we stopped to visit the 
graves of Shelley and Keats. From a plain white 
marble slab, lying over the remains of the former, 
or over the ashes of his heart, "his body having 
been burned upon the shore at Lerici, where it was 
thrown up by the sea," we copied the inscription 
entire, as follows: 

"PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, Cor Cordium. 
"Natus IV. Aug. MDCCXCIL Obiit VIII. Jul. MDCCCXXII. 

"Nothing of him that doth fade, 
But doth suffer a sea - change 
Into something rich and strange." 

From an upright, plain marble slab at the head of 
the grave of Keats we copied the entire inscription 
as follows: 

"This grave contains all that was mortal of a young English poet, who, 
on his death -bed, in the bitterness of his heart at the malicious power of 
his enemies, desired these words to be engraved on his tombstone: 
"Here lies one whose name was writ in water. 
' ' February 24, 1 82 1 . " 

Through the little Church of San Pietro in Carcere 
we entered the Marmertine prisons, "excavated from 
the solid rock under the Capitol." They consist of 



ROME. 315 



two chambers, one below the other, the lower origin- 
ally being accessible only through a trap door over- 
head. Now there is a narrow staircase leading to 
this dungeon. It was here that St. Peter and St. 
Paul were imprisoned, so we are assured; and we 
were shown the chain which bound them to an iron 
post, still also to be seen in the room. Sometimes, it 
is said, they were chained to their jailor — their 
safety being thus secured, notwithstanding the jailor 
might fall asleep. There is a chair here in which 
we rested for a moment, on the assurance of the 
custodian that it was the same used by these illustri- 
ous Apostles. From a well beneath the prison floor 
we drank of excellent water. This fountain "is 
attributed to the prayers of St. Peter that he might 
have wherewith to baptize his jailors, Processus and 
Martinianus; but, unfortunately for this ecclesiasti- 
cal tradition, the fountain is described by Plutarch 
as having existed at the time of Jurgurtha's impris- 
onment." It is supposed to have been from this 
prison that St. Paul wrote to Timothy, — "I suffer 
trouble as an evil-doer, even unto bonds; but the 
word of God is not bound." 

We next went into San Pietro in Vincoli, another 
church full of interest. There are many figures 
in mosaic, some fine pictures on canvas, by celebra- 
ted artists, and several remarkable statues, the most 
famous of which is Michael Angelo's gigantic statue 
of Moses, which is called "The Glory of the Church." 
It forms part of the unfinished tomb of Julius II. 
' ' The figure is seated in the central niche, with long 
flowing beard descending to the waist, with horned 
head and deep -sunk eyes, which blaze, as it were, 
with the light of the burning bush, with a majesty 
of anger which makes one tremble, as of a passion- 






316 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

ate being, drunk with fire." We have a photograph 
of this statue, which we could not help thinking 
would present a better effect, being so much above 
the natural size, were it placed in an elevated posi- 
tion instead of resting on a base only three or four 
feet high. In niches on either side are statues of 
"Rachel" and "Leah," likewise by Michael Angelo; 
and there are niches for over thirty more. Relics, 
purporting to be portions of the crosses of St. Peter 
and St. Andrew are shown here. 

In the afternoon we spent an hour in the Church 
of San Giovanni in Laterano, where we heard most 
excellent music by the choir, with organ and double 
bass viol accompaniment. We have seen nothing 
finer in any church than the twelve pillars support- 
ing the nave, and, in niches, the marble statues of 
the twelve Apostles; and these are only a small part 
of the magnificent decorations of this church, which, 
after the time of Constantine the Great, is said to 
have been the principal church of Rome. It oc- 
curred to us that our sculptor, Mr. Ball, from Boston, 
might have taken his idea of his superb statue of 
"St. John" from the statue of that Apostle here, as 
they resemble each other. Both artists represent 
him as standing with a pen in his right hand and a 
book in his left, his eyes raised reverently toward 
heaven. "And I heard a voice from heaven, saying 
unto me, Write," etc. In the high altar, at which 
the Pope alone reads mass, there is a wooden table 
from the catacombs, which is said to have been used 
as an altar by St. Peter. We must content ourselves 
with speaking of only a few of the wonderfully 
interesting objects in this church. Indeed, one can 
enter hardly any of the old Roman churches without 
being at once impressed with their almost innumer- 



ROME. 317 



able treasures, which are the accumulation of many 
centuries. 

A short distance from the Church of San Giovanni 
in Laterano, in an old building which centuries ago 
formed part of the Lateran Palace, is the Santa 
Scala, or Holy Staircase, which our Saviour is sup- 
posed to have ascended and descended when they 
were in the house of Pilate at Jerusalem, from 
which place they were brought by Helena, mother 
of Constantine the Great. The steps, two of which 
are said to be stained by the blood of the Saviour, 
are of white marble, but to prevent further wear 
they are encased in wood. Through apertures in 
the casing we observed that they were much worn. 
It is allowed to ascend these steps, twenty- eight in 
number, only on the knees; and while we were 
present a dozen or more persons, men, women, and 
children, were slowly making the ascent, stopping 
on each step to breathe a prayer, and, on reaching 
the top, prostrating themselves over a brass cross 
fastened to the floor, and then continuing on their 
knees to the "Sancta Sanctorum," formerly a pri- 
vate Chapel of the Popes, across the hall. At the 
foot of the stairs, on one side is a marble group, 
representing " Christ before Pontius Pilate," and on 
the other, one representing " Judas Kissing the Sav- 
iour." On either side of the Santa Scala is a flight of 
stairs by which the devotees descend, and these are 
in common use for all. Whoever ascends the sacred 
steps on his or her knees is granted an indulgence 
from penance for nine years, so we were told on the 
spot; but the Schonberg-Cotta Chronicles say for a 
thousand years. According to this last authority, 
Martin Luther once undertook the ascent, when, as 
he was toiling up, he said he heard a voice as if 



318 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

from heaven, which seemed to whisper to him the 
words of his old battle-cry, "The just shall live by 
faith/' and awakened as from a nightmare, he stood 
upright, and with firm step descended and walked 
away. Not so with those we saw, some of whom 
we observed stooped forward and kissed the steps in 
the most reverent manner. Pilgrims from a long 
distance come here to perform this act of devotion. 



CHAPTER L. 

{|D OME, January 1, 1876.— We begin to think 
^pV there is no limit to the churches in Rome, and 
that if we expect to visit all of them we shall be 
obliged to extend our visit into months instead of 
weeks. We have already seen a great many, and 
we are becoming so familiar with them that we 
hardly realize how much of interest they possess. 
On the 27th of December we found ourselves at the 
Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, situated 
quite near the city walls and right by the old Roman 
Aqueduct. It is remarkable principally for the relics 
which it contains, and which, if verified as genuine, 
would certainly be very wonderful. Among these 
is the "Title of the True Cross," "an imperfect 
plank of wood, two inches thick, one and a half 
palms long, and one palm broad;" "the finger of St. 
Thomas, Apostle, with which he touched the most 
holy side of our Lord Jesus Christ;" "one of the 
pieces of money with which the Jews paid the 
treachery of Judas;" "one bottle of the most pre- 
cious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;" another of 



ROME. 319 



"the milk of the most blessed Virgin," and a number 
of other equally wonderful things. Passing from 
the church, we gathered from the aqueduct walls 
some moss and leaves, as the most facile representa- 
tives of that ancient structure, for preservation. 

On the 28th we went to see the Bambino at the 
Church of Santa Maria in Araceli, near the Capitol. 
It is a representation of the nativity of the manger. 
We made some notes of this exhibition, to which 
the whole of one of the side chapels is devoted; 
but the description of it by Mr. Story, the sculptor, 
is so perfect that we cannot do better than copy 
it: "In the foreground is a grotto, in which is 
seated the Virgin Mary, with Joseph at her side 
and the miraculous Bambino [infant Jesus] in her 
lap. Immediately behind are an ass and an ox. 
On one side kneel the shepherds and kings in ado- 
ration; and above, God the Father is seen surrounded 
by crowds of cherubs and angels playing on instru- 
ments, as in the early pictures of Raphael. In 
the background is a scenic representation of a pas- 
toral landscape, on which all the skill of a scenic 
painter is expended. Shepherds guard their flocks 
far away, reposing under palm-trees or standing 
on green slopes which glow in the sunshine. The 
distances and perspective are admirable. In the 
middle ground is a crystal fountain of glass, near 
which sheep, preternaturally white and made of real 
wool and cotton wool, are feeding, tended by figures 
of shepherds carved in wood. Still nearer come 
women bearing great baskets of real oranges and 
other fruits on their heads. All the nearer figures 
are full sized, carved in wood, painted, and dressed 
in appropriate robes. The miraculous Bambino is 
a painted doll swaddled in" a white dress, which 



320 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



- 



is crusted over with magnificent diamonds, erne 
raids, and rubies. The Virgin also wears in her 
ears superb diamond pendants." This exhibition 
takes place only in the first week after Christmas, 
and on a stage erected for the purpose little maidens 
come and recite " sermons, dialogues, and little 
speeches" in explanation of the picture before them. 

On the 29th we made a visit to Story's studio, 
where, among other meritorious works of 'his, we 
saw his "Cleopatra," a most beautiful statue chis- 
eled out of the purest white marble. It is in a 
sitting posture, and looks every inch a queen. We 
also went into the studio of an Italian artist near 
by, where we found many interesting objects of 
arlj; and afterward made a second visit to the studio 
of Miss Hosmer. On the same day we were present 
at a school exhibition at Mr. Van Meter's, where 
little Italian girls from four to twelve years of age 
gave recitations in a very pleasing manner. Al- 
though the room was crowded with spectators, they 
were not in the least abashed, and their delivery 
and gestures were perfect. Ten or twelve of Mr. 
Van Meter's older lady pupils, now his assistants, 
were present and received each a copy of the Bible 
as a Christmas gift, while the little ones were over- 
joyed by presents of various kinds from the Christ- 
mas tree. 

On the same day, in company with Mr. and Mrs. 
J. S. Lippincott, of Philadelphia, we passed some 
hours in looking at the pictures and other interesting 
objects in the Corsini Palace, which is open free to 
visitors every day except Sunday. With a large 
collection of paintings here are some which are quite 
noted. One of these is "A Madonna and Child," by 
Murillo, and another, also "A Madonna and Child," 



ROME. 321 



by Carlo Dolce. The latter, especially, is one of the 
most beautiful we have anywhere seen; and the 
galleries all abound in Madonnas, as w T ell as in Holy 
Families, Crucifixions, Saints, and Martyrdoms. 
One of the most striking portraits here is that of 
"Clement XII.," the coloring and expression of 
which are so perfect that only a near view could 
convince that it is a stone mosaic and not an oil 
painting on canvas. From this palace we walked 
to the Janiculum, "a steep crest of a hill which 
rises abruptly on the west bank of the Tiber," and 
from which we had a fine view of the city and the 
Campagna in the direction of and beyond St. Paul's. 
"On this hill Janus is believed to have founded a 
city, which is mentioned by Pliny under the name of 
Antinopolis." Our objective point was the Church 
of St. Onofrio and adjoining convent. There is 
nothing very remarkable in the church; but the old 
convent is interesting as having been the residence 
of Tasso in his last days, and as containing the 
room in which he died on the 25th of April, 1595, 
in the fiftieth year of his age. We saw in this room 
his bust, a mask in wax said to have been taken 
from a cast of his face, his autograph, inkstand, 
crucifix, and other relics. We sat in the arm chair 
labeled as the one he usually occupied, but failed to 
experience on that account any poetic inspiration. 
On the invitation of Clement VIII. , Tasso came to 
Rome in November, 1594, that he might be crowned 
as poet laureate on the Capitol. He expected the 
ceremony would take place immediately, but o wing- 
to the inclemency of the weather it was, much to his 
disappointment, postponed until late in the follow r - 
ing spring. His feeble health admonished him that 
his end was near, and when he arrived at the mon- 



322 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

astery he said to the monks who received him, "My 
fathers, I have come to die among you!" and he 
wrote to one of his friends, "I am come to begin my 
conversation in heaven in this elevated place and in 
the society of these holy fathers." Upon receiving 
the Papal absolution on the day of his death, he 
exclaimed, "I believe that the crown which I looked 
for upon the Capitol is to be changed for a better 
crown in heaven." He was buried in the church, 
close by the high altar, and near the church en- 
trance is a monument to his memory. In the gar- 
den of the monastery we stood under the old oak 
planted by Tasso, but which was partially destroyed 
by lightning or a hurricane in 1842. A young oak is 
growing beside it. 

Most of the sojourners at our hotel and several of 
their friends stopping at other hotels here being 
desirous of calling on General Garibaldi, the writer 
dropped a note to him, asking him, if agreeable, 
that he would name a time when we might see him. 
He immediately answered through the post that he 
should be happy to receive us from two to four 
o'clock in the afternoon, but without naming any 
day. His note is written in Italian: 

Illus. Signore: 

Vi vedro suo piacere dalle 2 alle 4 P. M. 

Vi saluto, 
Roma, 28 — 12 — 75. G. GARIBALDI. 

Signore Horatio King, 
Roma. 

Choosing the afternoon of the 30th to make the 
call, a party of fifteen of us took carriages and were 
driven to his Villa Cassalini, a pleasant country 
residence about a mile beyond the city walls. We 
were detained a few minutes in the corridor before 



ROME. 323 

being admitted, and were then invited by a young 
man, whom we afterward learned was the General's 
son, to walk up stairs. Here we were ushered into 
a spacious saloon which had been converted into a 
bedchamber, there being two single beds placed side 
by side in a corner of the room. In the center, 
covered with books and papers, was a long table, at 
the further end of which General Garibaldi sat in an 
easy chair. Waiting a moment under the impres- 
sion that he would come forward to receive us, we 
soon observed that he was an invalid, and we all 
moved toward him, and were introduced — the writer 
first introducing himself and then the rest of the 
company separately. He was dressed in black pan- 
taloons, a loose gray jacket, with a white flannel 
cloak thrown over one shoulder, and wore a black 
embroidered cap and slippers. He made no allusion 
to his health, but it was apparent. that he was suf- 
fering from rheumatism or other malady rendering 
locomotion difficult if not painful. His slippers were 
slit as though his feet were swollen, and his hands 
were much cramped. He was, however, very cheer- 
ful, and expressed himself as very much gratified 
to see so many of his American friends, who, he 
remarked, appeared to represent, as they did, almost 
all parts of the United States. He said that he 
too was an American citizen — that he did not know 
Maine, but that he knew Boston, New York, Phil- 
adelphia, Washington, and the Po-to-mac, placing 
the accent on the last syllable. To one of our com- 
pany who congratulated him on the progress of civil 
liberty in Italy, and who remarked to him as lie 
held his hand on taking leave that that hand had 
had much to do in producing this happy result, 
he modestly replied that he had done a little, but 



324 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

only his duty. We bade him adieu, all feeling that 
we had been in the presence of a man possessing 
many characteristics of greatness, by none of which 
were we more impressed than by his candor and 
unselfishness. He speaks English quite fluently, 
and repeatedly expressed his gratification at seeing 
us. The writer saw and heard him make an address 
in French on the occasion of his reception at Geneva 
in the month of September, 1867. There was a great 
crowd present, all eager to see him. He is of me- 
dium size. The likenesses we generally see of him 
are quite correct. 

On the 31st we visited the Colonna Palace, oc- 
cupied by the Prince of Colonna, who generously 
throws its galleries open free to visitors every, day 
except Sundays and holidays. It is usual, however, 
in all such cases, to give the custodian a small fee. 
As in all the galleries, there are many fine pictures 
here, some statuary, and a few articles of rare old 
furniture among the numerous other objects of curi- 
osity and art. We saw here a secretary, inlaid 
with ivory and precious stones, the making of which 
occupied thirty years. In the largest hall, on one of 
three or four steps up to a more elevated part of the 
floor, lies a cannon ball, which came through the 
window and lodged there when the French attacked 
the city in 1849. It split off portions of the marble 
step, making quite an indenture. A similar in- 
denture from a like cause, and in the same siege, 
may be seen in the pedestal of one of the marble 
angels, several of which adorn the bridge of San 
Angelo over the Tiber near St. Peter's. 

In the evening we went to the Church of II Gesu, 
which was magnificently lighted, it being the occa- 
sion of a Te Deum, which takes place there every 



NAPLES. 325 



year on the 31st of July and 31st of December. It is 
•'sung for the mercies of the past year/' and for- 
merly the Pope as well as cardinals and people of 
Rome were in attendance. The services were very 
impressive. 

And now we must take leave of Rome for the 
present, and finish our sight -seeing here on our 
return from Naples. 




CHAPTER LI. 

APLES, January 7. — On the 3d instant we 
took the half past nine train from Rome and 
arrived in Naples about half past four in the after- 
noon, having for company Rev. Dr. Parker and 
party, Rev. Dr. Merriman, the genial President of 
Ripon College, Wisconsin, and Mr. and Mrs. Lippin- 
cott. The trip was void of special interest beyond 
the pleasure of passing the time in good company 
and seeing an old country new to us, with its pecul- 
iar people, along the road. We were most interested 
on arriving at the point where we obtained our first 
view of Mount Vesuvius, with its white smoke rising 
slowly, fold upon fold, and passing off to the north- 
west in fleecy clouds. We entered the city from the 
northeast, the central railroad station being on the 
eastern side toward Vesuvius. Taking carriages, 
we were driven immediately to a comfortable board- 
ing house, previously selected, at No. 64 via Gio- 
vanni, a few steps from the Strada di Chiaja, one of 
the principal avenues on the bay. We had rooms 
looking out upon a spacious garden in which oranges 



326 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and mandarins were ripe and ripening on the tall 
trees, and grape vines were green as in spring time. 

Our first call on the 4th was at our consul's- for 
letters from home. We found him (Mr. B. O. Dun- 
can) a most courteous and intelligent gentleman, 
and, as we think, in all respects admirably qualified 
for his position. 

In the afternoon we walked to Virgil's tomb, situ- 
ated in a vineyard in which green peas, on stalks 
or vines as high as our heads, were nearly large 
enough, to pluck for the table. This, in mid winter, 
was to us a rare sight. We entered from the street 
by an old rickety door, opening upon a long flight 
of steps, from the end of which we continued to 
ascend and wind around in a narrow path until we 
reached a commanding eminence. Here we came 
to a mean shanty, which appeared to be the domicile 
of the gardener and his wife; and the latter, a stal- 
wart washerwoman, leaving her work strung on 
lines in every direction, presented herself before us 
and sang a song in a voice that might have been 
heard a mile. It was in Italian, of course, but we 
understood it plainly enough as a bid for soldi, 
which, we are bound to say, neither the beauty of 
her person nor the sweetness of her voice could 
draw from our purses. And now, guided by the 
gardener, who was also the gate-keeper, we de- 
scended the west side of the hill fifteen or twenty 
rods to a rough board gate, which he consented to 
open on the payment of half a franc each by our 
party. A few steps beyond we came to what is 
generally believed to be the Tomb of Virgil. It is 
anything but attractive, either externally or inter- 
nally. It has a chamber about fifteen feet square, 
with three windows and vaulted ceilings; and in the 



NAPLES. 327 



walls, upon which there are appropriate inscriptions, 
there are ten recesses for cinerary urns. 

The two following days we passed most of the 
time in the National Museum, which is open daily 
from nine until three — free on Sundays and Thurs- 
days, and with an admission fee of one franc on 
other days. This in many respects is perhaps the 
most interesting Museum in the world. The objects 
here of most interest are relics from. Herculaneum 
and Pompeii, of which there is a very large collec- 
tion. Then there is what is called the Borgia and 
Farnese Collections, and any number of relics from 
Capua, Cumae, Pozzuoli, Stabiae, Naples, Lucera, 
Minturnae, and other places. The ground floor is 
devoted mainly to ancient mural paintings from 
Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, etc., and to ancient 
statuary. Here is the original group of the ' ' Farne- 
se Bull," so celebrated as having been carved out of 
a single block of marble. It was the work of Appol- 
lonius and Tauriscus, the Rhodian sculptors. "The 
two sons of Antiope, Amphion and Zethus avenge 
the wrongs of their mother by binding Dirce, who 
had succeeded in withdrawing, the affections of 
Lycus from Antiope, to the horns of a wild bull. 
Antiope in the back ground exhorts them to forgive- 
ness, and not in vain." The "Farnese Hercules," 
also rescued from the "Baths of Caracalla," is an- 
other piece of sculpture here regarded as quite re- 
markable. Other noted statues here are the "Venus 
of Capua," "Psyche of Capula," and " JEsehines," a 
beautifully draped figure. In one room is an eques- 
trian statue of Nero, found in the Forum of Pompeii. 
The collections of bronzes and terra cottas are almost 
unlimited, and, in respect to the marble statuary 
and paintings, it would be tiresome to enumerate. 



328 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

Few things struck our attention more keenly than 
the many common household articles, such as pots, 
kettles, and other vessels, which have been brought 
from Herculaneum and Pompeii. Some of them 
contain charred wheat, beans, almonds, plums, figs, 
olives, egg shells, and other things. Here, too, are 
fifteen loaves of bread burned to charcoal, but per- 
fect in shape as when they were deposited in the 
oven, where they had been lying nearly two thou- 
sand years, and where they were found. A large 
number of papyrus books, or rolls, charred and 
ready to fall to pieces, likewise possess much inter- 
est. Great pains have been taken, and with some 
success, to learn their contents. In the Hall of the 
Flora there is a historical composition in mosaic, 
which was found, in 1831, in the House of the Faun 
at Pompeii. It formed a portion of the floor, and is 
from six to ten feet square. It is a representation 
of "The Battle of Alexander" at the moment when, 
his helmet having fallen from his head, he is charg- 
ing Darius with his cavalry, "and transfixes the 
General of the Persians, who has fallen from his 
wounded horse. The chariot of the Persian Mon- 
arch is prepared for retreat, while in the foreground 
a Persian of rank, in order to insure the more speedy 
escape of the King, who is absorbed in thought at 
the sight of his expiring General, offers him his 
horse." We have a colored photograph of this mo- 
saic. There is a good collection here of Egyptian 
antiquities, a collection, said to be the most exten- 
sive extant, of ancient crystal, "showing the nu- 
merous ways in which it was used by the ancients ;" 
and an interesting collection of Renaissance works, 
among which are a bronze Tabernacle, very curious; 
an altar, with reliefs in marble; Indian and Chinese 



NAPLES. 320 



paintings; and various kinds of Asiatic curiosities. 
There are numerous precious relics, consisting of 
beautiful cameos, gold and silver jewelry, vases, 
goblets, and many other objects. A loaf of bread 
found at Pompeii bears the name of "Q. Cranius," the 
baker. There is an extensive Picture Gallery, con- 
taining some paintings, regarded as masterpieces of 
the Italian as well as the Neapolitan school, and 
also a large collection of engravings here, which 
form an important part of the thousands of inter- 
esting objects in this vast Museum. 

Everybody knows how beautifully Naples is situa- 
ted; but it has one serious drawback, from being too 
nearly on a level with the tide along the southern 
border skirting the sea. This is an obstacle to a 
complete drainage, and is no doubt a constant cause 
of sickness; but it is no good excuse for the dirt and 
filth one encounters in many of the streets, particu- 
larly in the lower parts of the city. We have taken 
a long walk through some of these streets for the 
purpose of observation, and much as we have seen 
of Italy we have nowhere seen so much of squalor as 
we found here. Many of the inhabitants appear to 
prefer dirt to cleanliness, and in their dress and all 
their surroundings they are consistent. Beggars 
salute you at every turn; and not unfrequently, if 
refused, they will fling insulting epithets at you. 
which you are thankful you do not understand. In 
our perambulations toward evening we met goat- 
herds with their flocks of goats brought in from pas- 
ture for the night. Some of these animals yielding 
milk are taken from house to house, where they are 
milked and the milk sold on the spot. Were 'this 
wholesome regulation applied to some of the milk- 
men who supply Washington city with milk, there 



330 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

would be a fall in the price of water. It is a sight to 
see the common laborers and market people, who 
live in the suburbs or outside of the city, returning 
toward home at the close of their day's work. 
Sometimes you may see as many as fifteen or twenty 
on a single two - wheel cart, drawn by one poor mule 
or donkey. They not only fill the cart, but cling to 
the sides and thills, looking not unlike a swarm of 
bees; and very little mercy is shown to dumb beasts 
in Naples. In this regard, hackmen and cartmen 
are alike, and they seem to take delight in cracking 
their whips over and torturing their poor animals. 
Go into the street either for a walk or a ride, and if 
you are not careful you will be run over by hack- 
men, who, jehu-like, drive up to you, urging you to 
employ them. Make a bargain with one of them 
and enter his carriage, a hanger-on stands ready 
and mounts the seat with the driver, and when you 
come to alight he is on hand to open the carriage 
door, for which service you must pay him a fee or 
receive a measure of his abuse. We have learned 
to watch for these interlopers, and to let them un- 
derstand in advance that we will have nothing to do 
with them. They are evidently on good terms with 
the drivers, who never object to their company. 

The Strada di Roma, running north and south, 
dividing the city nearly in the center, is the fash- 
ionable business street of Naples; and on pleasant 
afternoons it is alive with beauty and gayety in all 
the glory of kingly aristocracy. The street is filled 
with carriages and the sidewalks with pedestrians 
of both sexes, all out for exercise and in pursuit of 
pleasure. The Strada di Chiaja and the charming 
Villa Reale, a beautiful Park between that broad 
avenue and the seashore, are likewise places of 



SORRENTO. 331 



great resort for travelers and the elite of the city. 
This is particularly so on two evenings of the week, 
when there is excellent music by the band in the 
Park. The Park is long and narrow, and among its 
adornings are a number of marble statues, which 
would be a valuable acquisition to any gallery. It 
presents a curious contrast to the acres of linen 
strung on clothes lines in an open space nearer the 
shore, just to the southwest — a sight which might 
lead a stranger to suppose that half of the linen of 
Naples was sent there to dry. 



CHAPTER LIL 

APLES, January 9.— The 7th and 8th of Jan- 
~£) C uary are days in our traveling experience long 
to be remembered. Our American party of nine left 
the city on the morning of the 7th by railroad for 
Castellamare, seventeen miles, where we hired two 
coaches, with drivers and a guide, to take us to 
Sorrento and back the same day. Both of these 
towns are situated directly on the bay, and the 
turnpike between them, a distance also of seventeen 
miles, runs quite near the shore most of the way. 
The hills and mountains on the east extend, here 
and there to the sea, and had to be excavated to 
admit of passage. On a pleasant day no ride could 
be more delightful; but unfortunately for us, the air 
was raw, with now and then a flurry of sleet from 
the mountains, and this was calculated in some de- 
gree to chill our enthusiasm. Nevertheless, the trip 
was novel and highly interesting. At the north, a 



332 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



part of the way much nearer to us than when in Na- 
ples, was dark Vesuvius with its endless moving 
clouds of smoke, and, also in plain sight, were the 
famous islands of Ischia and Capri, while the Med- 
iterranean, stirred by the winds, continually ad- 
dressed us in plaintive murmurs. Our road took us 
through Vico, Equense, Meta, and one or two other 
small villages; and where the mountains do not 
intervene there were on either side orange and olive 
groves, mulberry trees, pomegranates, figs, and 
aloes, the orange trees being loaded with their gold- 
en fruit. On our arrival at Sorrento, our guide led 
us up a long, muddy lane to the gate of an extensive 
orange grove, expecting to be admitted; but, much 
to our regret, he could make no one hear either 
his vigorous raps or his hallooing, and we were 
obliged to content ourselves with a look at- the tops 
of the trees over the high walls. Disappointed in 
this, we turned and walked a mile or more to the 
top of a high hill on a point of the peninsula, afford- 
ing a splendid view of Naples and the intervening 
gulf, as well as of Capri, now only a few miles off; 
of Ischia; the coast west of Naples to Pozzuoli and 
Baise; and of Mount Vesuvius on the northeast. 
We next went to see an old mansion in which Tasso 
was born in 1544, and " where, on his return in 
1592, disguised as a shepherd, after a glorious but 
chequered career, he was received by his attached 
sister Cornelia." The only things we noted as re- 
markable about the building were two queer old 
marble griffins supporting the balcony. After tak- 
ing some refreshments and purchasing a few articles 
of carved and inlaid wood, for which Sorrento is 
famous as well as for its cheap silk goods, we started 
on our return to Castellamare. It was deemed pru- 



POMPEII. 333 



dent to make the journey by daylight for two 
reasons: First, the fear of brigands at night, and 
secondly, the danger from obstructions by stones 
falling from the mountains. It was, however, quite 
dark before we reached Castellamare, where we 
stopped over night. 

The next morning opened finely, and our coach- 
men having served us reasonably and very satis- 
factorily the day before, we made another bargain 
with them to carry us to Naples by the way of 
Pompeii, stipulating for a stop of four hours at 
the latter place, four miles from our starting point. 
We were soon set down at the Hotel Diomede, a 
mean public house, which we should advise all trav- 
elers to shun, although our guide-book speaks of 
it as the best in the place. It is situated near the 
office where we obtained tickets and a guide to 
see the silent city. And now we were guided from 
street to street and from house to house, walking 
over three hours; but this w r as time sufficient to 
explore only comparatively a small portion of the 
ruins. Pompeii, when destroyed, was a town of 
from twenty to thirty thousand inhabitants. In 
the year 63 it was visited by a destructive earth- 
quake, and in 79 it was overwhelmed by the eruption 
of Vesuvius. More than half the city yet remains 
to be excavated. The streets are paved and in good 
condition, save that in some places there are ruts 
six or eight inches deep, worn by the wheels of 
carriages; and the sidewalks are also generally well 
paved. In some of the streets the carriage-way 
is considerably below the level of the sidewalks, 
and at the crossings ure high stepping-stones for 
foot passengers. Many of the shorter streets are 
only wide enough for one carriage, and there must 



334 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

have been a regulation requiring approach by car- 
riage always from one and the same direction to 
avoid meeting. The walls of few of the buildings 
are standing above the first story, and these are 
generally either of brick or of small stones and 
cement. Many of the houses have staircases, show- 
ing that they were of more than one story; but 
as the upper portions have disappeared, it is sup- 
posed they were chiefly of wood and were consumed 
by the red-hot scoriae of the eruption. The shops are 
generally distinguishable from the common dwell- 
ings and palaces; and many of the shops as well 
as the palaces bear over their doors the names of 
their former occupants. In some of the shops the 
marble counters are still standing, and in one of 
them we saw large earthen vessels, used for the 
sale of oil or wine. In a bakery the large oven, 
in which a batch of bread was found baked to char- 
coal, still remains intact, and near it are mills for 
grinding corn. The Basilica and Forum was an 
immense edifice, the surrounding pillars of which, 
mostly destroyed nearly to their base, witness its 
former magnificence. Many of the pillars of the 
House of Ariadne, the House of the Tragic Poet, the 
House of Sallust, the House of the Faun, the Temple 
of Pompeii, the Cascerne, and of other large struc- 
tures remain standing at full length, but are more 
or less defaced by the heat of the scoriae and the 
ravages of time. With sensations impossible to 
describe, we walked over and through these ruined 
Temples, the House of Lucretius, the Temple of 
Mercurio, the Temple of Augustus, the Temple of 
Jupiter, the House of Pansa, and along the street 
of the Tombs into the Villa of Diomedes. Many 
of the tombs and monuments are in a perfect state 



POMPEII. 335 



of preservation. The Villa of Diomedes is one of 
the most extensive private residences yet discovered, 
and according to our recollection one of the best 
preserved. '"Near the garden gate of this Villa 
were found the skeletons of the owner and his atten- 
dant, one holding in his hand the keys of the Villa, 
the other carrying a purse which contained one 
hundred gold and silver coins of Nero, Vitellius, 
Vespasian, and Titus." At the southeast extremity 
of the town and detached from the other ruins is 
the Amphitheater, said to have been capable of ac- 
commodating twenty thousand spectators. The cir- 
cles of seats, one above another, are of brick and 
cement, more or less covered with scattering tufts 
of grass, and as the ashes and soil on the exterior 
have not yet been removed, we were enabled to 
walk over adjacent ground on a level with the top 
of the wall and look down upon the ruins. There 
are the ruins, also, of the great Theater, holding- 
five thousand, and the small Theater, made to seat 
fifteen hundred spectators. Near by are the remains 
of a building called the Gladiator's Barrack, one 
chamber of which appears to have been used as 
a prison, in which were found three skeletons and 
iron stocks for the feet. It is probable that other 
apartments of this edifice were likewise so occupied, 
as there were, in all, the remains of sixty- three 
bodies discovered on the premises. Here was a 
spacious bathing house, one section for males and 
one for females, with their marble basins for both 
hot and cold baths, their dressing rooms, and every 
other convenience of such an establishment. These 
rooms, like those of nearly all the houses and pal- 
aces, are ornamented with stucco reliefs and fresco 
paintings on the walls. 



336 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

In one part of the town we came to a well, still 
supplied with pure water. Connected with the pal- 
aces were beautiful fountains, the marble adorn- 
ments of which, with their cisterns, are still in a 
good state of preservation. There is a small Muse- 
um here filled with curious relics and models of 
various objects here brought to light. The most 
striking are plaster casts of corpses of a number of 
the ill - fated inhabitants, and a cast of the body of a 
dog, showing from his contortions that he died in 
extreme agony. A figure of a young girl has a ring 
on one of the fingers. These casts were taken by 
filling with plaster the cavities left by their bodies, 
which, embedded in the hardened ashes, had de- 
cayed. We have a perfect photograph of one of 
them, showing that the poor sufferer met death 
lying on her face, doubtless in the hope of avoiding 
suffocation. The excavation is still going on, but 
very slowly, we should judge from the compara- 
tively few persons at w~ork when we were present. 
Most of these were women and children, who car- 
ried the soil and ashes in baskets on their heads a 
short distance to a truck running on a temporary 
railroad to be conveyed away. Army or other Gov- 
ernment officials were superintending the work. 
Pompeii was a walled city, and we entered through 
one of the old gateways. We might give many 
more particulars, but we should leave room for the 
poet, Rogers: 

"At the fount, 
Just where the three ways meet, I stood and looked, 
('T was near a noble house, the house of Pansa,) 
And all was still as in the long, long night 
That followed, when the shower of ashes fell, 
When they that sought Pompeii sought in vain! 
It was not to be found. But now a ray, 



POMPEII. 



Bright and yet brighter, on the pavement glanced, 
And on the wheel-track worn for centuries, 
And on the stepping-stones from side to side, 
O'er which the maidens, with their water urns, 
Were wont to trip so lightly. Full and clear 
The moon was rising, and at once revealed 
The name of every dweller, and his craft; 
Shining throughout, with an unusual luster, 
And lighting up this city of the dead. 

" Mark, where within, as though the embers lived. 
The ample chimney-vault is dun with smoke. 
There dwelt a miller; silent and at rest 
His mill-stones now. In old companionship 
Still do they stand as on the day he went, 
Each ready for its office — but he comes not. 
And there, hard by, (where one in idleness 
Has stopt to scrawl a ship, an armed man; 
And in a tablet on the wall we read 
Of shows ere long to be,) a sculptor wrought, 
Nor meanly, blocks, half chiseled into life, 
Waiting his call. Here long, as yet attests 
The trodden floor, an olive merchant drew . 
From many an earthen jar, no more supplied; 
And here from his a vintner served his guests 
Largely, the stain of his o'erflowing cups 
Fresh on the marble. On the bench, beneath, 
They sat and quaffed and looked on them that passed, 
Gravely discussing the last news from Rome." 

And now, bidding a last good-bye to the silent 
city, we mounted our carriages and were speedily 
conveyed to our lodgings in Naples, wondering why 
it is that while one city is engulfed by a terrible 
earthquake and another overwhelmed with burning 
ashes, others still are exempt from any such awful 
catastrophe. 



22 



338 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER LIII. 

APLES, January 18. — On the 12th our party 
of nine passed the day in a most interesting- 
trip to Baue, about twelve miles on the bay south- 
west of Naples, and back. The roads run near the 
sea all the way. From the strada Chiaja we enter 
the Grotto of Posilipo, a tunnel half a mile in length 
through a ledge or spur of a mountain. It is sup- 
posed to have been constructed in the reign of Agus- 
tus. "It is mentioned by Seneca and Petronius. 
under Nero, as a narrow and gloomy pass. Mediae- 
val superstition attributed it to magic arts practiced 
by the poet Virgil," whose tomb is on the side hill 
near its eastern opening. Originally the bed of the 
road was much higher than at present, and we could 
see in the sides of the walls, about twenty feet above 
our heads, where deep grooves had been worn by the 
hubs of carriage wheels. The height of the grotto 
varies from twenty to ninety feet, and its width is 
from twenty- five to thirty feet. At the entrance 
and in the middle are small chapels, the ledge hav- 
ing been excavated to make room for them; and 
meek looking monks in their gowns and cowls stood 
ready to solicit any soldi we might have to spare. 
At the egress of the grotto we came to the small 
village of Fuorigrotta, whence we took the road to 
Pozzuoli, or Puteoli, as it is called in the 28th of 
Acts. After landing and tarrying three days at 
Syracuse — this was after his shipwreck — St. Paul 
says: "And from thence we fetched a compass, and 
came to Rhegium; and after one day the south wind 
blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli, where 
we found brethren and were desired to tarry with 



POZZUOLI. 330 



them seven days; and so we went toward Rome." 
We naturally took a lively interest in the place on 
St. Paul's account; but the only "brethren" who 
greeted us on our arrival were an army of guides 
and beggars, from whose importunities we were glad 
to escape by proceeding as speedily as possible on 
our journey. On an eminence behind the town there 
are the ruins of an amphitheater, which some of our 
party entered while the rest were satisfied with a 
look at the outside. By excavations made in 1838 a 
number of subterranean passages and receptacles 
for the wild beasts and other purposes were discov- 
ered. There was also a conduit by means of which 
the arena "could be laid under water when naval 
combats were to be represented. The celebrated 
gladiator combats under Nero, when he received 
Tiridates, King of Armenia, as a guest at his court, 
took place here, and even the Emperor himself enli- 
vened the arena." Before going to the amphitheater 
we went to the crater of Solfatara. It is bowl- 
shaped, with a level bottom, and about a quarter of 
a mile in diameter. At one side is a boiling mass of 
mud, which bubbles and sputters, as one of our party 
remarked, like hasty- pudding. Near this was a 
considerable opening in the pumice-stone crust, 
through which sulphurous vapor and smoke were 
being emitted in a manner to indicate pretty lively 
operations directly beneath our feet. The guide led 
us close to this breathing - hole of the crater, and 
with a long -handled rake drew out red-hot pieces of 
porous stones yellow with sulphur, which we brought 
away with us. The soil is composed mostly of lime 
and sand, and six inches beneath the surface the 
sand under our feet was so hot that we could not 
hold it in our hands. Here the guide raised a heavy 



340 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



stone to his head and let it fall' to the ground, produ- 
cing a reverberating sound from below, indicating 
plainly that the earth directly beneath was hollow. 
We declared ourselves satisfied with a single demon- 
stration, nor had we any desire to remain longer in 
such near juxtaposition to what is undoubtedly a 
region of fire and brimstone. The latest eruption, 
attended with an emission of lava, known to have 
taken place from this crater, occurred in 1198. 
m Returning to our carriages, we pursued our jour- 
ney toward Baiae, stopping to view the ruins of 
several temples on the way. It was past midday 
when we reached the end of our route; and here we 
were again beset by a gang of beggars, men, wo- 
men, and children, from whom we endeavored, but 
in vain, to escape. Our landlady had kindly provi- 
ded for us a bountiful lunch, and that we might 
enjoy it unmolested, we walked a quarter of a mile 
away from any dwelling — there were not a half a 
dozen in the place, one of them being a dirty inn — 
but the ragged crowd followed us like a herd of 
hungry wolves. In ancient times, before the fall of 
the Roman Empire, Raise was a great watering- 
place, and the desolate ruins of splendid baths, pal- 
aces, and temples are seen here at various points. 
On a height overlooking the bay there is a fort, 
which is the only structure we saw here in good 
repair. We gathered curious shells and pumice- 
stones from the seashore, and on our way home we 
were conveyed along by Lake Avernus, "regarded 
by the ancients as the entrance to the infernal re- 
gions on account of its somber situation and envi- 
rons. Tradition affirmed that no bird could fly 
across it and live, owing to the poisonous exhala- 
tions, and that the neighboring ravines were the 



bai^:. 341 

abode of the dismal, sunless Cimmerii, mentioned 
by Homer, (Odyss. XI.) Virgil, too, represents this 
as the scene of the descent of iEneas, conducted by 
the Sibyl, to the infernal regions (iEn. VI., 237.)" 
We drank of the water of this lake, which is of 
circular form and about one mile and a half in 
circumference. All this region round about is vol- 
canic, but there was no taste in the water we drank 
to indicate that it came from other than a pure 
fountain. Our whole trip was novel and interesting, 
and we reached our lodgings in time and with keen 
appetites for our six o'clock dinner. 

Like Turin, Venice, Florence, Rome, and we know 
not how many other Italian cities, Naples also has 
her Royal Palace, and this we visited on the 14th. 
It is not very remarkable for elegance, but the main 
staircase is grand and beautiful, adorned as it is 
with statues of the Erbo and Tagus, and the state 
rooms, which are furnished with many paintings 
and other objects of art, compare favorably with 
those of other palaces we have seen in our travels. 
There is here one unique piece of furniture, a Royal 
Cradle, which attracted our special attention. It is 
set up in the style of a swing, and stands in the 
center of the reception room. It is lined with white 
satin and has a pillow also covered with white satin. 
The outside is studded with coral, pearls, and lapis 
lazuli, and over it hovers a gilded angel. The view 
from this Palace is very fine. From the windows of 
the main salon you look out upon the Castle of St. 
Elmo and the Church and Monastery of St. Martin, 
high up on the hill in the southwestern part of the 
city. We have been to this famous Church and 
Monastery, and they are well worth a visit if only to 
enjoy the view from the garden and belvidere. This 



342 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

view takes in the city, bay, and the country in one 
direction as far as the Appenines. Listening from 
this high eminence, it was curious to hear the min- 
gled sound of carriage wheels, of the tread of man 
and beast upon the pavement and street, of the 
voices of the moving multitude, of all the noises of a 
busy city rising in one ceaseless hum, not unlike the 
distant moaning of the ocean. The Church contains 
many paintings, all possessing more or less interest. 
We had a jolly time on the 17th in an excursion to 
Mount Vesuvius. Taking a double carriage, in com- 
pany with Dr. Merriman, Mr. and Mrs. Lippincott, 
and Miss Lillian Parker, and being provided by our 
landlady with a generous lunch, including oranges, 
mandarins, and vin ordinaire in abundance, we 
were driven along the coast for a few miles through 
a succession of villages, inhabited principally, we 
should think, by the lower class of laborers and beg- 
gars. Fishing and the manufacture of macaroni 
appeared to be the leading industries, judging from 
the number of persons mending their nets and the 
strings of macaroni hung out in every quarter to dry. 
The lovers of macaroni would be wise not to give 
special attention to the secrets of its manufacture. 
By this caution we are reminded of an incident in 
the life of Hawthorne, whose humorous side, . Mr. 
James T. Fields says, was not easily or often discov- 
erable, yet that he had seen him marvelously moved 
to fun, and that he remembers how he writhed with 

hilarious delight over Professor L 's account of a 

butcher who remarked that "Idees had got afloat in 
the public mind with respect to sassingers." It was 
a sight to behold the crowd going to and from the 
city, especially the market people, some carrying 
their products on their heads, some with carts, and 



VESUVIUS. 343 



others with donkeys completely covered all but their 
head and ears by huge panniers, one on either side, 
reaching nearly to the ground and filled with what- 
ever they had to sell. One of these interesting 
animals was almost entirely enveloped in golden 
carrots, impelling the punster of our party, Mr. 
Lippincott, to remark that "that donkey was more 
than eighteen carrots fine." That this pun may not 
be credited either to vin ordinaire, or to the genuine 
•'Lachrimse Chfisti," a bottle of which was pur- 
chased by one of our party at the Hermitage, it is 
due to our friend to say that he got it off before 
lunch. Our road took us through the villages of 
Portici and Resina, situated very near the sea. The 
latter village has been built over the buried town of 
Herculaneum, the excavated portions of which are 
reached by about one hundred steps. Only a small 
part of the town has been excavated; and having 
seen Pompeii, and not having sufficient time on this 
trip to take a look at Herculaneum, we concluded to 
forego any satisfaction we might have enjoyed in 
visiting the latter ruins, which, we are informed, 
present nearly the same general appearance of those 
at Pompeii. Both towns were destroyed by the 
same eruption. It is not probable that any part of 
Herculaneum will ever be uncovered to the sun. 
Turning now to the left, we were driven on a smooth 
zig-zag turnpike up the hill, through and over im- 
mense lava beds, to a point called the Hermitage, 
which is at the end of the carriage road. The only 
buildings here are a tavern, a small chapel, and the 
observatory. They are situated on a ridge so high 
that when there is an eruption from Mount Vesuvius 
the streams of lava flow down on either side. The 
distance from this point to the base of the cone is 



344 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

about one mile, and persons wishing to ascend the 
cone ride on mules or walk to the foot thereof at 
their pleasure. Dr. Merriman was the only one of 
our party who ascended to the mouth of the crater, 
the rest of us contenting ourselves with a ramble 
over the lava beds at the base of the cone, with an 
examination of the instruments in the observatory 
used for determining the conditon of the cauldron, 
and with the splendid view of land and sea afforded 
by our elevated position. We had a near view, also, 
of the great clouds of smoke, which come rolling up 
continually from the mouth of the seething crater. 
We walked over the identical beds of lava by which 
a party of tourists were suddenly overwhelmed and 
lost their lives in 1871. Hard now and immovable, 
these broad fields of lava, nevertheless, have an 
angry look, seeming to warn us to beware of a simi- 
lar catastrophe to ourselves. The lava is of a dark 
color, like the scoriae from an iron furnace, and has 
taken crude shapes, sometimes like coils of ropes, 
again like roots of dead trees, and then again swell- 
ing up into huge heaps, and, in the process of cool- 
ing, splitting open on the surface, presenting deep 
seams, or separating into smaller pieces. Dr. Merri- 
man, in his ascent to the crater, outstripped all 
others with him, making the ascent unaided in just 
fifty minutes and the descent in ten minutes. Be- 
tween Resina and the Hermitage, wherever there is 
a spot of ground not covered with lava, if no larger 
than a flower bed, grape vines have been planted, 
and gardeners were engaged in trimming and nurs- 
ing them. One pleasant incident of this trip was 
our first meeting with Professor S. F. Smith, author 
of the National Hymn, "My Country, 'tis of Thee/' 
at the Hermitage. He is one of the Faculty of the 



ROME. 345 

Baptist Theological Seminary at Newton, Massachu- 
setts. We all returned to our lodgings well satisfied 
with the day's enjoyment. 



CHAPTER LIV. 

SO OME, February 1. — Our former traveling com- 
;4j V panion, Mr. Stickney, having joined us again 
at Naples, he and Dr. Merriman took final leave 
of us, and embarked for Egypt on the 18th of 
January. Dr. Parker and family returned on the 
same day to Rome, while we remained another 
week to keep company with Mr. and Mrs. Lip- 
pincott and finish up a little shopping, as well as 
to have executed a likeness in shell cameo, which 
we had just learned we could have done here on 
very reasonable terms. Naples is the place to buy 
all kinds of shell work, coral jewelry, and fancy 
articles in wood; and one can usually make such 
purchases there for one half or one quarter of the 
asking price. Having nearly completed our sight- 
seeing there, we devoted the week to rest. We 
should not, however, forget to speak of a very 
interesting visit we made to the Aquarium in the 
Villa Reale. It is said to be the best in Europe. 
We also spent an hour agreeably in the Church of 
San Francesco di Paola, and went a second time to 
the Royal Palace. The Church is built after the 
style of the Pantheon in Rome. Its high altar is 
entirely inlaid with jasper and lapis lazuli. 

We began now to think about securing our passage 
home by the Cunard Line, and wo sent the company 



346 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



: 



the required £ 10 pledge for a good state room on the 
"Bothnia" for the 6th of May. We left Naples at 
half past two on the afternoon of the 25th of Janu- 
ary, and arrived in Rome at half past nine. Finding 
all the rooms taken at the Hotel clella Pace, where 
we had previously stopped, we found equally good 
quarters at the Hotel du Sud near by, both being 
under the direction of the same proprietors. We 
were now again in daily communication with Dr 
Parker and family, but Mr. and Mrs. Lippincot 
remained in Naples, and we have not had th 
pleasure of seeing them since. 

In the Capitoline Museum there is an extensive 
collection of relics of almost every description, em- 
bracing statues innumerable, sarcophagi, bronzes, 
vases, and an endless variety of other curiosities, 
besides a large collection of paintings. We saw 
here the celebrated siatues of the "Dying Gladiator," 
and the "Capitoline Venus." Half a day was barely 
sufficient for us to take a casual look at what is to 
be seen here, and it would require a volume to fur- 
nish a full description of even the more striking 
objects of interest in this vast collection. While we 
were at the Museum, General Garibaldi arrived in 
a coach at the Capitol, and was carried into the 
Chamber of Deputies, whence after a few minutes 
he was brought back in the arms of men, and 
departed amid the loud acclamations of the peo- 
ple assembled in front of the doorway. We were 
attracted by the noise, and reached a window just 
in time to see him reenter his carriage. He is 
evidently very popular, especially with the common 
people. From the Museum some of our party went 
to the Palace Rospiglioso to see the famous fresco 
painting of "The Aurora," by Guido. 



ROME. 347 



On the 27th ultimo, with Mr. Van Meter as our 
" guide, philosopher and friend/' our whole party 
took carriages and were shown through many inter- 
esting parts of the city, embracing the Palace of the 
Caesars, a view from the bell -tower of the Capitol, 
the Church of St. Augustine, the Ghetto, or Jews* 
Quarter, and the exterior of the House of Rienzi and 
of the Cenci Palace. The House of Rienzi "derives 
its present name from a long inscription over a door- 
way, which tallies with the bombastic epithets as- 
sumed by the ' Last of the Tribunes ' in his pompous 
letter of August 1, 1347, when, in his semi -madness, 
he summoned Kings and Emperors to appear before 
his judgment seat." The Cenci Palace — the home of 
Beatrice Cenci and the "scene of many of the terri- 
ble crimes and tragedies which stain the annals of 
the Cenci family — is of great extent," having a court 
"supported by columns, and adorned with antique 
friezes of fine workmanship, and built with balcony 
over balcony of open work/' Both of these buildings 
are situated in an obscure corner of the city, and 
near the Ghetto, which was formerly inclosed by 
w^alls, outside of which the Jews at one period were 
prohibited from showing themselves, "unless the 
men were in yellow hats or the women in yellow 
veils." It is a pretty rough looking place, and our 
curiosity was quite satisfied with riding through it. 
In an open space in front of a little church we 
observed letter -writers, sitting at their tables, en- 
gaged in writing letters for the illiterate. It is a 
regular trade. 

We were particularly pleased with our visit to and 
view from the Capitol. From the bell -tower Mr. 
Van Meter pointed out and remarked upon all the 
points of historical interest within the scope of our 



348 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

vision. Here were the "Seven Hills," all, or nearly 
all, in sight, with the Capitol, the Roman and Tra- 
jan Forums, the Palace of the Caesars, the Coliseum, 
and the Pantheon, all on the east side of the Tiber. 
The names of the "Seven Hills" were given and the 
separate locations pointed out in their order — the 
Aventine, Coelian, Palatine, Esquiline, Yiminal, 
Quirinal, and Capitoline. 

The Church of St. Augustine is noted for the 
"Madonna and Child," a fine piece of sculpture by 
Andrea Sansovino, before which the credulous Ro- 
man Catholic devotees are wont to prostrate them- 
selves in sign of adoration. The figures are "smoth- 
ered with jewels, votive offerings of those whose 
prayers the image had heard and answered. All 
round the image the walls are covered with votive 
offerings, likewise; some of a similar kind — jewels, 
watches, valuables of different descriptions." Fred- 
erika Bremer relates that long prior to her visit 
here, the report was spread that one day when a 
poor woman called upon this image for help it began 
to speak, and replied, "If I had only something, 
then I could help thee, but I myself am so poor." 
This story being circulated, very soon throngs of 
credulous people, she says, hastened hither to "kiss 
the foot of the Madonna, and to present her with all 
kinds of gifts. "Candles and lamps burn around, 
and people pour in, rich and poor, great and small, 
to kiss, some of them two or three times, the Ma- 
donna's foot — a gilt foot, to which the forehead also 
is devotionally pressed. The marble foot is already 
worn away with kissing; the Madonna is now rich." 
We had seen so much of this kind of devotion that 
we looked on without any new emotion, either of 
wonder or surprise. 



ROME. 340 

The 28th ultimo was devoted by our party to sight- 
seeing outside of the city, in the Baths of Caracalla 
and the Catacombs of St. Calixtus. Our trip took 
us again on the Appian Way for a short distance, 
affording us another opportunity to see this exceed- 
ingly interesting part of Rome. These Baths take 
their name from their projector, Caracalla, who 
began them in the year 212. They were continued 
by Heliogabalus and finished under Alexander Sev- 
erus _ so our guide - book states. One mile in circum- 
ference, they could accommodate sixteen hundred 
bathers at once. Only a portion of the walls, which 
are of brick, remain standing, and these are broken 
and crumbling. Some of the pavements, or ground 
floors, which are of marble mosaic, are still left, but 
they are very uneven and more or less covered with 
sand and dirt. Gibbon states that the walls of the 
lofty apartments were covered with curious mosaics 
that imitated the art of the pencil in elegance and 
design and in the variety of their colors. The no- 
bility and common people alike had access to these 
baths. ' ' The perpetual stream of hot water, " Gibbon 
continues, "was poured into the capacious basins 
through so many wide mouths of bright and massy 
silver; and the meanest Roman could purchase, with 
a small copper coin,. the daily enjoyment of a scene 
of pomp and luxury which might excite the envy of 
the Kings of Asia. From these stately palaces issued 
forth a swarm of dirty and ragged plebians, without 
shoes and without mantle; who loitered away whole 
days in the street or Forum to hear news and to hold 
disputes; who dissipated, in extravagant gaming, 
the miserable pittance of their wives and children; 
and spent the hours of the night in the indulgence 
of gross vulgar sensuality." In these habits of lux- 



350 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

ury, inertia, and consequent vice, the historian traces 
the main cause of the decline of the Roman Empire. 
The ruins of this immense structure, which covered 
a space of two million six hundred and twenty- five 
thousand square yards, do not present the appear- 
ance of having been unearthed; yet the books speak 
of numerous works of art, among them the statues 
of the "Farnese Bull," "Hercules," and "Flora," 
which have been "discovered" here; and it is pre- 
sumed, therefore, that the debris in the interior was 
composed of the fallen roof and crumbling walls, 
together with light soil and sand conveyed thither 
by the winds of centuries. 

Our descent into the Catacombs was by a long- 
staircase, or a series of staircases, attended by a 
guide. We carried lighted tapers in our hands, and 
were careful not to lose sight of our conductor lest 
we might never find our way out. We were from 
twenty to forty feet below the surface — a cultivated 
field. "The galleries are from two to four feet in 
width, and vary in height according to the nature of 
the rock in which they are dug. The walls on both 
sides are pierced with horizontal niches, like shelves 
in a bookcase or berths in a steamer, and every 
niche once contained one or more dead bodies." In 
some of them w^e saw human bones. These galleries 
"cross and recross one another, sometimes at short 
intervals," on different levels, and it is estimated 
that in all the Roman Catacombs there are not less 
than three hundred and fifty miles of them. Here 
and there they open into small chambers, the walls 
of which are likewise generally pierced with graves, 
and in some of which are rude scriptural paintings. 
One of these chambers is called the Chapel of the 
Popes, many of the earlier Popes having been buried 



ROME. 351 



in it. We roamed among these ancient sepulchres 
for half an hour or more, and came out, glad to see 
daylight once more, at an opening some distance 
from the one where we entered. 

Learning from Miss Foley, whose sculpture studio 
we visited yesterday, that William and Mary Howitt 
were stopping at her house, we called on them last 
evening and were exceedingly gratified with our 
short interview with them. Mr. Howitt is a gentle- 
man of medium size, with hair entirely white, and 
an expression of countenance and manner at once 
attractive and agreeable. He is over eighty years 
of age, but still active as a man of sixty -five. Mrs. 
Howitt, we should judge, is from ten to fifteen years 
younger. Both in dress and deportment she ap- 
peared like an accomplished Quaker lady. Her hair 
is brown, and with a handsome nose and brilliant 
eyes, her expression is sweet and winning. For a 
number of years they have passed their winters in 
Rome and their summers in the Tyrol. They were 
gratified to hear us speak of the many friends they 
have made in the United States by their writings, 
and mentioning the names of a few of our best 
authors, they said they had met some of them in 
Europe. Mrs. Howitt desired to be kindly remem- 
bered to "Grace Greenwood," whose acquaintance 
she said she had the pleasure of making twenty 
years ago. 

Now, having turned our faces homeward, we take 
)ur final leave of Rome. 




352 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER LV. 

JENEVA, February 19. — In company still with 
our friends, Dr. Parker and family, we took our 
departure from the w ' Eternal City" at eleven in the 
forenoon of the first instant, and arrived in Florence 
at seven in the afternoon, stopping ■ at our old rooms 
on via Palestro. We left in good time, as we have 
since learned that a great many travelers were soon 
prostrated by the Roman fever; nor did some of our 
party entirely escape from the bad effects of the 
malaria brought away in our systems. It showed 
itself in tooth -ache and painful swelling of the 
gums and in the glands of the face. Another fort- 
night, now, in Florence enabled us to finish up our 
sight -seeing there pretty thoroughly, although the 
weather during most of the time was wet, raw, and 
disagreeable, inclining us to stay indoors more than 
we should have done had it been pleasanter. We 
revisited some of the churches, the Protestant Ceme- 
tery, St. Miniato, the Picture Galleries, and other 
places, in respect to all which we have already writ- 
ten, and notwithstanding the variableness of the 
weather, we shall always have pleasant recollections 
of Florence. 

A ride of two hours by rail brought us on the 14th 
to Pisa in time to visit the great Cathedral, Bap- 
tistery, and Campo Santo, and to ascend the famous 
Leaning Tower. Pisa, where we remained over 
night, is situated on both sides of the Arno, five 
miles from its mouth, in the Mediterranean. In the 
thirteenth century it was a city of one hundred and 
fifty thousand inhabitants; but its present number 
is stated at not exceeding fifty thousand. The Ca- 



pisa. 353 

thedral was in course of construction from 1063 to 
1118. It "is entirely of white marble, with black 
and colored ornamentation. The most magnificent 
part is the facade, which in the lower story is 
adorned with columns and arches attached to the 
wall, and in the upper parts with four open galleries, 
gradually diminishing in length. The choir is also 
imposing." At the end of the nave, suspended 
by a very long iron rod from the arched ceiling, 
is the elaborate and beautifully wrought bronze 
lamp, which suggested to Galileo the idea of a pen- 
dulum. We have a fine photograph of it, and also 
excellent photographs of the Duomo, Baptistery, 
Leaning Tower, and of parts of the Campo Santo. 

The Baptistery, a circular white marble structure 
with a dome, is remarkable particularly for its 
beautiful Gothic architecture, its exquisitely carved 
pulpit, and its wonderful echo. Situated a few rods 
from the Duomo, its height is about one hundred 
and ninety feet and its diameter one hundred feet. 
The pulpit is on pillars near the center, and is en- 
tered by a flight of marble steps richly carved. 
One of the pillars rests on the back of a lion, while 
others present reliefs, representing, we imagine, 
Saints or Apostles. The panels are in like manner 
covered with bas-reliefs of various descriptions. 
Near the pulpit is a large baptismal font, adorned 
with beautifully carved figures in alabaster or mar- 
ble. The custodian sounded a series of musical 
notes, and "heavenly echoes burst forth in response. 
They were of such a tender and exalted rapture that 
we might well have thought them the voices of 
young-eyed cherubim singing as they passed through 
Paradise over that spot of earth where we stood." 
We called to one after another of our dear friends at 
23 



354 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

home, and their names were ,echoed back to us, 
many times repeated, as though they were answer- 
ing in person. 

The Leaning Tower stands across the street from 
and on the other side of the Duomo. When taken 
together in a photograph all three structures appear 
to be connected. We climbed by easy circular stairs 
to the seventh story of the Tower, from which 
had a grand view of the city and surrounding coun- 
try. In October, 1867, the writer, with his son 
Henry, ascended one story higher to the top, above 
the bell deck; but the rain was pouring in torrents, 
which, of course, obstructed the view. The question 
whether the oblique position of this Tower was in- 
tentional or accidental has been frequently discussed. 
Some writers hold that the most probable solution is 
that the foundation settled during the progress of 
its construction, and that to remedy the defect as 
much as possible an attempt was made to give a 
vertical position to the upper part. Our impression 
is that its leaning position was intentional; and this 
impression is strengthened by the fact that there is 
an ancient Leaning Tower at Milan, which we were 
informed was left unfinished because it could not 
be carried to its contemplated height on the same 
oblique line with its base without the danger of its 
toppling. The work of the Pisa Tower, too, looks 
very solid; nor could we discover any cracks either 
in the stone steps or walls. Its height is one hund- 
red and seventy- nine feet, consisting of eight differ- 
ent stages. It is thirteen feet out of the perpen- 
dicular. Galileo is said to have availed himself of 
this position of the Tower in his experiments regard- 
ing the laws of gravitation. This structure was 
completed in 1350. It is supplied with seven bells. 



PISA. '355 

the heaviest of which, weighing six tons, hangs on 
the side opposite the overhanging wall. To ring 
these bells the bell - ringer is obliged to stand on the 
bell deck. 

The Campo Santo, or Burial Ground, also near the 
Cathedral, is well worth a visit. Surrounding the 
church -yard is a low structure four hundred and 
fourteen feet in length and one hundred and seventy 
feet in width, with corridors looking inward. The 
walls of the corridors are covered with frescoes, 
representing "The Creation," "The Fall," "Expul- 
sion from Paradise," "Building of the Ark," "The 
Deluge," and many other scriptural subjects. The 
pavement is formed of the tombstones of the persons 
buried here, and there are memorial tablets also in 
the walls. There is a collection of Roman, Etruscan, 
and Mediaeval sculptures, and some of modern date, 
among which we observed a fine marble bust of 
Cavour. On the walls there are two heavy chains, 
which were used to protect the harbor of Pisa when 
at war with neighboring principalities. One of 
them, captured by Florence, was restored in 1848, 
and the other, captured by the Genoese in 1G32, was 
restored in 1860. That the dead here "might repose 
in holy ground," the Archbishop, after the loss of 
the Holy Land in the thirteenth century, caused 
fifty- three ship loads of earth to be brought hither 
from Jerusalem. 

On the 15th, Dr. Parker and family reached Pisa 
at half past eleven in the morning, from Florence, 
and, joining them, we all arrived in Genoa at half 
past six in the evening, stopping at the London 
Hotel. We passed near Carrara, where we saw 
great quantities of white marble, and still nearer 
Spezzia, which town, situated on the Gulf of Spezzia 



356 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

between two elevated points of land and crowned 
with forts, was in plain sight. It is a favorite naval 
station and summer bathing place. Our first expe- 
rience in Genoa was not very pleasant. On the 
pretext that his best rooms were all occupied, our 
landlord put us all in the fourth story, to which, 
however, we did not particularly object, since our 
stay was to be short. His office was on the second 
floor, the lower story being set apart for shops. 
The dining-room and adjoining reading-room were 
a few steps above and at some distance from the 
office. With a few other guests we were all sitting 
quietly at supper in the dining - room, when suddenly 
a thick volutoe of smoke, white with heat, came 
pouring into the room through the reading-room 
door, which was open, and it was evident the house 
was on fire. Now came a race for our lives. Total 
strangers, it might have been difficult for us readily 
to find our way to the street even had the halls 
been lighted; but as soon as the alarm was given, 
the gas, to avoid explosion, was wisely turned off, 
and we had hardly more than left the dining - room 
before we found ourselves in total darkness, groping 
our way, as we supposed, toward the office as our 
nearest way out doors. Fortunately we came to 
a room where two frightened ladies had just lighted 
a candle, and they gladly joined us in our retreat 
to the office, which we finally reached in safety, 
but badly scared. A staircase led immediately from 
the office to the street, and we no longer feared 
for our lives. In the moment of doubt whether 
our lives might not be sacrificed, the thought of 
the loss of our luggage, all of which was in our 
room, had not the weight of a feather with us. 
But as soon as the first danger was over, and we 



GENOA. 357 



found by a cautious reconnoissance that we might 
venture to go to our room, we ascended hastily, 
seized the bulk of our things and as speedily made 
our way back with them, entirely out of breath. 
At the same time, Dr. Parker started on a similar 
errand; as he had not returned when we reached 
the office, Miss Parker urgently asked us to go 
to his assistance, but it was half a minute before 
we could recover our breath to answer. We then 
proceeded to comply with her request, when, meet- 
ing the Doctor coming down, we kept on again 
to our own room, which was filled with smoke, 
and secured the rest of our effects. Meantime the 
servants and others of the hotel had succeeded in 
subduing the flames by drenching the reading-room, 
to which the fire was confined, with water, carried 
in buckets and whatever other vessel was nearest 
at hand. Had this fire occurred after the inmates 
had retired to bed, it is more than probable that 
these "Sketches" never would have been written. 
As soon as things became a little settled, we all 
made up our minds to go to another hotel; for, 
seeing that the fire took from a furnace pipe be- 
tween the floor and ceiling, we feared it might 
break out again. This determination did not suit 
the landlord, who now remembered that he could 
give us rooms, which he offered us, on a level with 
the dining room, and we concluded to remain. The 
next day we all took a good view of the city,' going 
into the principal Cathedral and some other places 
of interest. There is a handsome monument to 
Columbus here, and many of the buildings are very 
elegant. The city is beautifully situated "on a slope 
rising above the sea in a wide semi -circle," and its 
harbor is also in the form of a semi -circle, about 



358 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

two miles wide, almost entirely inclosed by the land 
and a long pier on either side. 

We left Genoa about eight o'clock on the morning 
of the 17th, and arrived at Turin at half past twelve. 
We spent the afternoon in another survey of por- 
tions of the city, embracing occasion to exchange 
what Italian money we had for gold. While in 
Italy we sold our gold at from six to eight per cent, 
for paper. Preferring to travel by the day line, we 
stopped over night in Turin. The ground here was 
covered with two or three inches of snow, and the 
weather was so cold that, although we had a good 
supply of wood, we found it almost impossible to 
keep from freezing in our rooms, and were only 
made comfortable by jugs of hot water in our beds. 
The rooms of the hotel appear to have been con- 
structed to admit the cold in instead of excluding it; 
and the fireplaces are sunk as far into the wall as 
possible, allowing nearly all the heat to go up the 
chimney. Leaving at nine the next morning, we 
arrived at Geneva, by the way of the Mont Cenis 
Tunnel, at half past eight in the evening, happy to 
be so far toward home. 



COPPET. 359 



r CL 



CHAPTER LVI. 

JE)ARIS, March 15. — Now behold us in the grand 
3$ capital of "La Belle France." We did not 
hasten hither, because we were comfortably situated 
at Geneva for recuperation, and we were advised 
that the season here, owing to almost constant rains, 
was very unpleasant. Nor, we are bound to say, 
had Geneva much to brag of in this respect, for 
during all the time we tarried there, from the 18th 
of February to the 14th of March, we saw very few 
fair days. One of these was availed of to visit Cop- 
pet, the residence of Madame de Stael, situated on 
Lake Leman, nine miles northeast of the city. Her 
house is quite palatial and all its surroundings are 
charming. Only some half dozen rooms are shown 
to visitors. In one of these is her portrait and 
others of her family; and the old furniture is also 
preserved, just as she left it at her death. Every- 
body, of course, knows that she was the daughter of 
Monsieur Necker, the distinguished French states- 
man, and that she was exiled and otherwise perse- 
cuted on account of her opposition to Napoleon Bo- 
naparte. She, however, returned to Paris, where 
she died on the 14th of July, 1817; and, in accord- 
ance with her expressed desire, her remains were 
brought to Coppet and buried by the side of those 
of her father, to whom she was devotedly attached. 
Among her last words, she said to her daughter: 
"My father is waiting for me in the other world, 
and I shall soon go to him." Two days before her 
death, she read and commented on Byron's "Man- 
fred," then just published, and on the morning of 
her death she pointed to these passages : 



360 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



"Lo! the spell now works around thee, 
And the thankless chain hath bound thee; 
O'er this heart and brain together, 
Hath the word been passed — now whither? 
* * * * # #• 

Oh, that I were 
The viewless spirit of a lovely sound, 
A living voice, a breathing harmony, 
A bodiless enjoyment — born and dying 
With the blest tone which made me! " 

Before dismissing Geneva, we should not forget 
to say that this is a good place to get crystals, 
carved wood, and almost every kind of fancy arti- 
cles; and Bruel, on rue des Allemands, who deals 
in these goods, is recommended to us by Mrs. Consul 
Upton as obliging and honest, and as having always 
dealt fairly with Americans. For watches, she re- 
ferred us to Messrs. Patek and Philippe and Mr. 
Magnin. The Patek firm, she said, have been ever 
kind and attentive to Americans, rendering the most 
valuable services at all times. 

As in traveling from Turin to Geneva, a long 
day's ride, we found it desirable to take the first- 
class cars, so, in starting from Geneva at half past 
three in the afternoon, to travel all night to Paris, 
we chose the express train, in which only first - class 
cars are run. It rained when we started, and the 
night was raw and cold ; but our compartment, 
warmed by hot water in long flat or partially oval 
vessels under our feet, was very comfortable. The 
water in these cylindrical brass or copper vessels, two 
of which reached across the car, was changed once 
or twice on the passage. We had it in contempla- 
tion to stop at Fontainebleau; but when we reached 
there about daylight, the weather was so wretchedly 
uninviting that we decided to go on, and it was half 



GENOA TO PARIS. 361 



past seven when we arrived at the Grand Hotel du 
Louvre, where we staid while in Paris. For miles 
between Fontainebleau and Paris, we saw a sight 
such as we have sometimes seen in dreams, but 
never expected to behold in reality. From the over- 
flow of the Seine, owing to long continued and 
heavy rains, the country for miles around was un- 
der water. What was naturally dry land under 
cultivation and dotted with dwelling houses was 
now a broad lake, or series of lakes, the waves of 
which came rolling up to the railroad track; and 
but for the scattering trees and buildings in the 
midst of the waters, a stranger would have had no 
thought other than that he was journeying along by 
a permanent lake. The inhabitants were passing 
from house to house in boats and entering or leav- 
ing their dwellings by the windows of the second 
stories. It was an extraordinary sight indeed. 

Before entering upon a hasty view of the great 
capital, we have a mind to give a brief description 
of a trip the writer made, with his son Henry, in 
October, 1867, from Genoa via Mce, Toulon, Mar- 
seilles, Aries, ISTismes, Lyons, Dijon, and Fontaine- 
bleau to Paris. This was before the railroad was 
built between Spezzia and Nice, and we traveled by 
diligence over what is called the Conechee Road. 
It took us along over high hills and mountains 
and into deep valleys, through endless forests of 
chestnut trees, literally bowing under their abun- 
dance of fruit, and figs also were quite plenty on 
some portions of the route, selling, dried, at two 
cents a pound. The chestnuts are twice the size 
but not nearly so sweet as those of our country. 
Olives, too, were in abundance. The olive is about 
the size and shape of an apple tree, and in the 



362 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 






shape and size of its branches and leaves much 
resembles our swamp willow. It was a hard ride 
from Genoa to Nice, occupying from nine o'clock 
one evening till the same hour the next evening, 
twenty- four hours, with only short stops to change 
horses. On some portions of the way we were 
near the shore, the waves of the Mediterranean 
breaking at our feet; but, for the most part, we 
were high up on the mountains, which, with those 
also between Genoa and Spezzia, were then being 
tunneled for a railroad. Not far from the line 
between Italy and France we were much interested 
in looking from our high position on the mountains 
off upon the city of Monaco, the smallest principality 
in the world. It lies on the Mediterranean, and 
when we passed early in the evening it was bril- 
liantly illuminated. 

We rested over night at Mce, the well known 
place of winter resort, provided with many elegant 
hotels and handsome boarding houses. At Toulon 
we remained over one train for dinner, feasting 
on fresh sardines, which are nearly as luscious as 
brook trout. After dinner we took a walk around 
town, visiting one or two churches, saw the convict 
hulks in the harbor, and glimpses of many other 
sights. Fore street was filled with sailors, and 
everything had the appearance of an active business 
town. 

A ride of about two hours brought us to Mar- 
seilles, of which city we obtained a fine view from 
a high ledge overlooking it, and on which stands 
the Church of Notre Dame de la Garde. In this 
Church there are many curious paintings, but none 
possessing very much merit. At the entrance of 
the harbor are three or four small islands, which 



GENOA TO PARIS. 368 

appear to be of solid rock, and upon these, as well 
as upon two hills on the shore, there are strong 
fortifications, the Chateau d' If, of Monte Cristo 
celebrity, being one of them. The rue Prado, a 
broad street three miles in length, is one of the most 
magnificent drives imaginable; and the city has 
good reason to be proud of its many beautiful build- 
ings and its substantial dock. 

Aries is a queer old Roman town. We saw here 
the ruins of an Amphitheater, also the ruins of an 
old church, in which were open lead coffins contain- 
ing the bones and ashes of the dead, and near by 
any number of old Roman sarcophagi, monuments, 
and other objects of interest. From the cellar of a 
hotel we were conducted into the catacombs, a 
loathsome dungeon, extending a long way under 
the city, and exhibiting here and there heaps of 
human bones. 

We were more interested in Nismes, another old 
Roman city, in which there is a well preserved 
Amphitheater, still in use for bull -fights and other 
exhibitions, and a Museum of most interesting anti- 
quities. Nismes is some twenty miles off the direct 
route to Paris, and not very far from the boundary 
of Spain. 

At Avignon, where we struck off from the direct 
line, we also stopped long enough to see the Pope's 
Palaces, now used as barracks, the tombs of Popes 
Jean XXII. and Benedictus, and to visit the Mu- 
seum, where there is an almost endless variety of 
Roman relics, a large collection of paintings, and 
other objects of art. We were particularly struck 
by an ivory crucifix, or figure of Christ, here, made 
in 1G59, which is curious as expressive of extreme 
suffering when viewed from one side, and of calm 









364 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




GARDEN AND PALACE AT FONTAINEBLEATJ. 



FONT AINEBLE AU. 3 G 5 



resignation when seen from the other side of the 
face. 

At Lyons we spent one night and the better part 
of a day, going into the Museum, the principal 
churches, and some of the silk manufactories. 

Next we stopped at Dijon, a most interesting city. 
The most attractive point here is the stately old 
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, now occupied as 
a Museum, where there is a very large and fine 
collection of paintings, one or two of which we noted 
as unusually impressive. One representing "Saul 
of Tarsus" fallen from his horse, when hearing "a 
voice from heaven/' is remarkably striking. A 
"Goddess of Beauty" in the act of watering flowers, 
and several' other goddesses in painting as well as in 
marble, are exquisitely beautiful. 

Fontainebleau is about forty miles southeast of 
Paris. It has very little the appearance of a city, 
and about the only objects of interest here are the 
Royal Palace, Garden and Forest Park. After walk- 
ing through the Palace Garden, which is extensive 
and beautiful, containing several artificial lakes — 
one, a mile in length, for boating — we were con- 
ducted through forty- one rooms of the Palace. The 
exterior of the Palace, which is of brick, is not at all 
imposing; but the interior, both in respect to finish 
and furniture, is very rich. One large room is set 
apart for a library. There are two chapels, the 
smaller being the Queen's Chapel. One room is 
adorned w^ith porcelain plates from Sevres. They 
are set into the walls and are of different dates, 
going back many years. Several of the apartments 
were pointed out to us as those occupied in 1812 by 
Pope Pius VIII. , when a prisoner of Napoleon I., 
and in one of them the Pope's portrait was sus- 



366 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



pencled. This was the Pope by whom Napoleon was 
crowned. A strange feeling came over us as we 
stood in the very room in which and by the side of 
the very table on which Napoleon signed his abdica- 
tion, prior to his departure for Elba; and sad as we 
always feel when we think of the cruel decree which 
separated Josephine from him, it is not strange that 
this feeling of sorrow was more impressive when we 
found ourselves in the identical room, with its furni- 
ture unchanged, where this fatal decree was pro- 
nounced. 



CHAPTER LVII. 

'"llpARIS, March 30. — In speaking of Paris and of 
-^p what we have done and seen here, we hardly 
know where to begin or what to say. We have 
kept no regular account of our movements here. 
Dr. Parker and party preceded us here two weeks, 
taking lodgings at a private boarding house; and 
shopping being the leading business with the ladies 
along with us, sight seeing has been secondary with 
us all, and we have not sought to go much together. 
Of course, we have paid our respects to Minister 
Washburne, who received us in the kindest manner, 
and obtained tickets for us to visit the Legislative 
Assembly at Versailles. Unfortunately, however, 
we were one day too late, as on going to Versailles 
we were disappointed in learning that an adjourn- 
ment for some weeks had taken place the day be- 
fore. We made the trip in a two story street rail- 
road carriage, occupying some two hours each way. 



VERSAILLES. 367 



We could have gone by steam cars, but chose the 
former mode because we wished to see the country 
along the line of the stage road, which runs very 
near St. Cloud and through the village of Sevres. 
We entered the tramway carriage, capable of ac- 
commodating thirty or forty persons, near the Lou- 
vre and passed along the Seine in the rear of the 
Palace and Garden of the Tuileries, at the left of the 
Champs Elysees and at the right of the Champ de 
Mars, where the great Exposition of 18G7 was held, 
on the opposite side of the river. The trip would 
have been pleasanter had the day been fair, as we 
thought when we set out it would be; but we were 
served with all kinds of weather — sunshine, rain, 
hail, and a flurry of snow in the course of the day. 
The Field of Mars is a large open space, bare as the 
Desert of Sahara of vegetation, and used as a mili- 
tary parade ground. Some of the private residences 
along the country road are quite elegant. Arriving 
at Versailles, we at once made our way to the 
Palace, an immense edifice, with a fagade over one 
quarter of a mile in extent. Two of the larger halls 
of the Palace are now used, one for the Senate and 
the other for the Chamber of Deputies. The larger 
of these two halls was constructed for a Theater. 
These we were permitted to enter, but the principal 
interest centered in the more private apartments 
abounding in works of art. These are magnificent 
in every respect, and are designated by various 
names, such as the Salle de Constantine, the Salle 
des Croisades, the Salle des Etats Generaux, the 
Salle de F Abondance, the Salon de Venus, the Salon 
de Diane, the Salon d' Apollon, or Throne Room, the 
Grand Galerie de Louis XIV., etc. In the Gallery 
of Statuary are many excellent works, including a 



368 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



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PALACE OF VERSAILLES, REAR VIEW FROM THE GARDEN. 






VERSAILLES. 369 



beautiful statue of "Joan of Arc," which is much 
admired. In several of the rooms there are many 
historical paintings, mostly modern. One of these, 
very striking, represents "The Storming of Mala- 
koff at Sevastopol/' In the Hall of the Crusades 
are pictures descriptive of battles fought by the 
Crusaders in their efforts to regain possession of the 
Holy Land. In the Salle du Sacre is David's famous 
picture of "The Coronation of Napoleon," which 
cost, it is said, twenty thousand dollars. In the 
same or another room is an equally grand picture, a 
most striking representation of "The Crowning of 
Josephine by the Emperor" at the Church of Notre 
Dame in Paris on the 2d of December, 1804. Jose- 
phine is kneeling, attended by two Maids of Honor 
bearing her long train, and Napoleon, standing by 
her and holding the crown up with both hands, 
is about to place it upon her head. Officers of 
the Church in their robes and other insignia of 
office, many of the nobility of both sexes, the for- 
eign ministers, and others are in attendance, as 
interested spectators, the portraits of many of them 
being painted from life. One of these was pointed 
out to us as that of General Armstrong, the Amer- 
ican Minister. The Napoleon family is largely 
represented here by busts, statues, and paintings, 
nor are they alone in this respect, great numbers 
of other distinguished men and women of France 
being in like manner remembered. We paused to 
look with more than common interest upon the 
Chambre a Coucher of Marie Antoinette, as on a 
former occasion the writer entered her little prison 
in Paris. It was in this room that she lay asleep on 
the night of the 5th of October, 1789, when the mob 
broke into the Palace. "She made her escape 

24 



370 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

through a small corridor leading to the grand ante- 
chamber of the King." In one of the rooms we saw 
portraits of Washington, Daniel Webster, Henry 
Clay, Andrew Jackson, and James K. Polk. 

Nothing can be more charming than the Palace 
grounds, adorned as they are with innumerable 
statues, a magnificent staircase, splendid fountains, 
flower beds, and shady groves. In the Grand Tria- 
non, at the further end of the Park, a building 
"erected for Madame Maintenon, a favorite mistress 
of Louis XIV.," there are some fine apartments, in 
one of which, the Cabinet de la Reine, is the bed 
formerly occupied by Josephine. On the whole, we 
were amply compensated by our visit to Versailles. 

Another day was devoted to St. Cloud and Sevres. 
The glory of St. Cloud had departed, leaving only a 
mass of ruins. Its beautiful Palace was entirely 
destroyed during the late war — set on fire, it is said, 
by French shells in an endeavor to dislodge the 
Germans on the 13th of October, 1870. The sur- 
rounding grounds are still beautiful, but their mag- 
nificent Cascade was silent on the day of our visit. 
A short walk took us to the Imperial Manufactory 
of Porcelain at Sevres, just out of the village. The 
building is of the commonest character of a work- 
shop. We were kindly received and shown through 
the entire establishment, from the molding and 
painting rooms to the ovens. None but accom- 
plished workmen and artists could turn out such 
works as go from this famous manufactory. We 
were charmed with some of the portraits and other 
pictures on porcelain we saw here. We do not 
wonder that they bring a high price. 

Beautiful as are the surroundings of Paris, much 
the greater interest, of course, centers in the city. 



PARIS. 371 

which, of itself, is one of the wonders of the world. 
At first view, and especially if we enter it before 
seeing other European cities, we feel a sense of 
oppression from the overwhelming number of novel 
things to be seen everywhere around us; and we 
are sometimes startled at the thought whether, after 
all, we are not dreaming! The Garden of the Tuile- 
ries, the Champs Elysees, and the many broad 
boulevards and streets, with their blocks of high, 
substantial brick and stone edifices, not omitting 
the Tuileries, the Louvre, the Palais Royal, the 
Hotel des Invalides, the Columns of Vendome, St. 
Jacques, and July, the Arc de Triomphe, and many 
other monuments, the Seine, with its twenty- seven 
beautiful bridges, and the one hundred or more 
churches of the city, not further to specify, all go to 
form a grand spectacle nowhere else to be seen. 

There are omnibus lines in all directions, and their 
management is very systematic. At all the promi- 
nent stations there are ticket offices, and the passen- 
ger purchases his ticket, which is numbered, and he 
is received only in the order of his number. He 
may alight where he pleases; but the omnibus stops 
for passengers only at fixed stations. The fare is 
six sous inside and three sous outside, on top, the 
seats being arranged lengthwise. When the seats 
are all taken, a card, bearing the word "Complet" 
is displayed on the rear end of the omnibus as a 
notice that no more passengers will be admitted. 

We have attended services at several of the 
churches, among them the Church of St. Etienne du 
Mont, built in 1121, the Notre Dame, and the Made- 
leine, three perhaps the most beautiful. The Church 
of Notre Dame is considered one of the finest mon- 
uments of its particular style of architecture in 



372 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

France. It is provided with an enormous bell, re- 
quiring the strength of eight men to ring it. The 
Church of the Madeleine is probably the more ad- 
mired. Commenced in 1764, it was only finished in 
the reign of Louis Philippe. The work upon it was 
suspended during the Revolution of 1789. By an 
Imperial decree rendered at Posen, the 2d of Decem- 
ber, 1806, Napoleon ordered it transformed into a 
Greek Temple, and that this inscription, "The Em- 
peror Napoleon to the Soldiers of the Grand Army," 
should be borne on its front. Another article of 
that decree provided that, every year, on the anni- 
versaries of the battles of Austerlitz and Jena, this 
monument should be illuminated, that' a concert 
should then be given, preceded by a discourse on 
the duties of the soldier and a eulogy on those who 
fell in those sanguinary battles. It was expressly 
forbidden to mention the Emperor in these dis- 
courses. If this decree was carried out, it was 
probably abrogated after the final abdication of Na- 
poleon; as we see that in 1815 Louis XVIII. ordered 
that the church be converted into a chapel in honor 
of Louis XVI. and his consort, Marie Antoinette, 
and this failing, it was at length completed in its 
present form by Louis Philippe. "It is surrounded 
by fifty- two Corinthian pillars, ornamented by a 
splendid fagade. The interior is most magnificently 
ornamented with rich gilding, paintings, and stat- 
uary, and is lighted by three domes, which are most 
beautifully painted." 

We have passed many hours in the Art Galleries 
of the Louvre, connected with the Palace of the 
Tuileries, the northwest wing of which is in ruins. 
These buildings are just across the rue de Eivoli 
from the Grand Hotel du Louvre, where we have 



PARIS. 373 

our lodgings. To describe what we have seen in 
the Galleries of the Louvre would be little more 
than a repetition of what we have spoken of seeing 
in other galleries; but we should not forget to men- 
tion the ''Venus of Milo," the original of which 
we saw here. We were disappointed in not being 
allowed to see the large collection of most inter- 
esting Napoleon relics/ which the writer saw here 
in 1867, when France was in her glory under Na- 
poleon III. The- cases containing these are all 
locked up, and republican France deems it prudent 
not to allow the old cocked hat, the boots and spurs, 
the army saddle and pistols of the great Emperor 
to be exhibited at the present crisis. These are only 
a few of the many speaking objects here, telling 
of the reign and power of Napoleon. Even the 
marble cast of his face, taken after his death, pos- 
sesses an almost irresistible attraction. It is a 
wonder that the authorities do not consider it neces- 
sary, also, to debar all entrance to his superbly 
grand tomb in the Hotel des Invalides; but this 
is still accessible. Over the entrance to this tomb, 
so often described, are his words, — "I desire that 
my ashes may repose on the banks of the Seine, 
in the midst of the French people, whom I have 
ever loved." In a recess adjoining the crypt stands 
a statue of him as Emperor, dressed in his imperial 
robes, and here also are other insignia of his which 
he wore on state occasions, together with the sword 
he carried at the battle of Austerlitz. We were 
present one Sunday when all the old invalids, offi- 
cers and soldiers, filed in line on either side of the 
main aisle of the Chapel, in another part of this 
vast building, to hear the twelve o'clock Mass. It 
was a novel sight — one or two hundred old veterans, 



374 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




HOTEL DES INVALIDES. 



crippled, scarred, and otherwise debilitated, some 
of whom had, no doubt, served under the great 
Napoleon, all in their uniforms, and parading in 
military order. They stood during the whole ser- 
vice, but some of them appeared to give little at- 
tention to the religious ceremonies, at the conclusion 
of which they all retired, keeping step to the martial 
music, and were dismissed in the court. 



PARIS. 375 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

;E)ARIS, April 10. — We have been almost daily 
;i> in the Place de la Concorde, which lies between 
the Garden of the Tuileries and the Champs Elysees. 
It is a handsome square, adorned by colossal statues 
and fountains, and in its center stands the obelisk 
of the Luxor, a column seventy- two feet in height, 
covered on its four tapering sides with Egyptian 
hieroglyphics. It was presented to the French Gov- 
ernment by the Pasha of Egypt, and transported 
from Thebes, where it formerly stood in front of 
the Temple. It dates back fifteen hundred years 
before the Christian Era. It was in this square 
that the guillotine was erected, and where, during 
the reign of terror in 1793 -'4, nearly three thousand 
victims were beheaded, among them Louis XVI., 
his unfortunate wife, Marie Antoinette, Beauhar- 
nais, the husband of Josephine, the Duke of Orleans, 
Robespierre, and many other noted persons. 

The Place du Carousal and Place Napoleon are 
formed out of large portions of the space bordered 
by the Palace of the Tuileries and the Louvre. The 
former is said to have derived its name from a 
tournament held there by Louis XIV. in 1662, and 
the latter is understood to have been so named in 
honor of Napoleon III. Originally, the whole space 
was probably intended for the Palace Court. 

The Place Vendome is an octagon, four hundred 
and fifty by four hundred and twenty feet in extent, 
surrounded by handsome dwelling houses, includ- 
ing one or two hotels. The rue de la Paix passes 
through it, and is the direct street leading from the 
Boulevard des Capuchins into the rue Castiglione, 



376 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




'J#C£Z 



PLACE VENDOME. 



which ends at rue de Rivoli, in front of the Garden 
of the Tuileries. There is a constant stream of 
people passing and repassing through this great 
channel of communication; and every stranger, of 
course, stops to view, if not to ascend, the grand 
column of Vendome which stands, surrounded by 
an iron railing, in the center of the square. This 
column was raised by order of Napoleon I., in honor 
of the French armies. It is one hundred and thirty- 
five feet in height, surmounted by his statue. The 
exterior is of bronze, covered with bas-reliefs, rep- 
resenting the victories of the French armies in the 
German campaign of 1805. As is well known, i^ 
was leveled to the earth by the Communists in 1871; 



paris. 377 

but we could not discover any marks of this destruc- 
tion. It is a splendid column, much resembling the 
Trajan column in Rome. 

The Column of July, in the Place de la Bastile, 
is constructed entirely of bronze, except its base, 
which is of white marble. It stands on the site of 
the old Bastile, the key of which is at Mount Yernon, 
and bronze bas-reliefs inserted in the sides of the 
marble base indicate that it was erected in com- 
memoration of those who fell in the French Revolu- 
tion of July, 1830, and whose bodies, as well as the 
bodies of the combatants of February, 1848, were 
here buried. Over a colonnade near the top of this 
monument there is a large gilt globe, surmounted 
by the figure of a winged angel, representing "The 
Genius of Liberty." While standing on this colon- 
nade in a smart breeze one day, we were made so 
dizzy from the swaying of the column to and fro 
that, splendid as was the view from that point of 
observation, we took counsel from our fears speedily 
to descend to a more stable foundation. There is a 
railing around this monument, but the rest of the 
ground forming this irregular open space, where 
several streets and boulevards concentrate, is in- 
closed only by the adjacent buildings. 

The Place du Trone, also the intersection of many 
streets and avenues, in the extreme eastern part of 
the city, is in circular form, and its principal orna- 
ments are columns surmounted by statues of "St. 
Louis" and "Philippe Auguste." There are numer- 
ous other squares under various names, all of which 
are more or less beautified by fountains, statues, etc. 

The Champs Elysees, through which runs the 
grand avenue of that name, from the Place de la 
Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, is the promenade 



378 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



most frequented by the aristocracy of Paris; and in 
fine weather it is the rendezvous of all the world. 
It is of great extent, affording ample space not only 
for gardens of flowers, shady groves, splendid fount- 
ains, and magnificent statues, but on one side of 
it is the Palace of Industry, an immense building 
filled with statuary and paintings, mostly by living 
artists, and which is used for agricultural and other 
fairs; near this is a circular building for panoramic 
exhibitions; and then there are cafes and pavilions 
for outdoor concerts, and room always for Punch 
and Judy shows, not to mention other entertain- 
ments known only to the gay Parisians and the 
more penetrating visitors at the grand capital. In 
the circular building, which covers perhaps half an 
acre, we have seen a wonderful panorama repre- 
senting "The Siege of Paris/' It is a picture of 
nature and art combined. The spectator stands on 
a raised platform in the center, around which there 
is a railing, and outside of this stands a French 
soldier on the natural soil, which forms the fore- 
ground of the picture. Bedecked with medals, con- 
ferred, no doubt, for meritorious services, he points 
out the positions of the contending forces and gives 
any other required explanation. In the foreground 
lie real broken guns, gun-carriages, knapsacks, and 
other debris, and beyond is the painting of field, 
forest, houses, fortifications, officers, soldiers, and 
all the attendants, save the noise, of a fierce bom- 
bardment. So ingeniously is the painting united to 
the real landscape that we found it impossible to 
determine the division line with any certainty. 

Fronting the Palace of Industry, on the opposite 
side of the Champs Elysees, is the Palais de I' Elysee 
Napoleon. It was built in 1718, and at one time 



PARIS. 370 



owned and occupied by Madame Pompadour, but 
finally purchased by the Government. It is said to 
have been a favorite residence of Napoleon L, and 
Napoleon III. occupied it while President of the Re- 
public. It was here that the former signed his final 
abdication, and here, doubtless, the latter planned 
his coup d' etat, by which he, too, became Emperor, 
only ere long to suffer a similar mortification. In 
the invasion of 18 14 -'15, the English soldiers pitched 
their tents in the Champs Elysees, and in March, 
1871, the Prussians encamped there for two days. 
No less than eight avenues diverge from the circular 
Place, in the center of which stands the magnificent 
Arc de Triomphe. One of these is the Avenue de 
V Imperatrice, leading to the Bois de Boulogne, and 
it is a grand sight indeed to behold the gorgeous 
equipages that almost any pleasant day may be 
seen in this great channel, flowing in an endless 
stream from every quarter, but especially from and 
into the Champs Elysees, crowded with countless 
thousands on foot as well as in carriages. 

The Arc cle Triomphe de P Etoile, erected to com- 
memorate the victories of the French armies, cannot 
fail to arrest the attention and command admiration. 
As its name indicates, this is an arched monument, 
having one high, broad arch through the center 
from east to west, with lower transverse arches 
from north to south. Its height is one hundred and 
fifty- two feet, with a breadth of one hundred and 
thirty- seven feet, and a depth of sixty- eight feet. 
It was commenced under the auspices of Napoleon 
in 1806, but not completed until 183G. The eastern 
and western sides are embellished by four magnifi- 
cent groups of statuary, the first representing "The 
Departure of 1792," the second "Resistance, or War," 



380 SKETCHES OP TRAVEL. 

the third "Peace," and the fourth "The Triumph of 
1810." In the "Departure" for the defense of the 
country, the Genius of War is encouraging to action, 
and all the actors appear to be intensely animated 
as if stirred by the Marseillaise — "Marchons! mar- 
chons!" In "Resistance," "a young man, guided 
by a Genius flitting over his head and attended by 
his father and his wife holding a dead child in her 
arms, rushes to the defense of his country; a warrior 
is falling from his horse, and Genius is encouraging 
them to action." In "Peace," "a warrior sheathing 
his sword stands between his wife and children, 
while another is taming a bull for purposes of agri- 
culture; and the Genius of Peace, crowned with 
laurels, sheds over them her protecting influence." 
In "The Triumph," iNTapoleon is represented as about 
to receive the crown from Victory, while History 
records the event, and Fame, on angelic wings over 
their heads, is blowing her trumpet. On other parts 
of the monument are bas-relief and alto-relievo 
representations of the different battles in which Na- 
poleon and other distinguished French Generals had 
been engaged. 

Porte St. Denis and Porte St. Martin, on the boule- 
vards of the same names, are also triumphal arches. 
The first was erected in 1672, in recognition of the 
rapid conquests of Louis XIV. in Germany, and the 
latter, raised in 1674, is likewise commemorative of 
the achievements of the French — one of its bas- 
reliefs representing the "Taking of Besangon and 
the Triple Alliance," and- another the "Taking of 
Limbourg and the Defeat of the Germans." Both 
bear the Latin inscription, "Ludovico Magno," to 
Louis the Great. 

The Tour de Saint Jacques de la Boucherie, is 



PARIS. 



381 




TOUR DE ST. JACQUES DE LA BOUCHERIE. 



a handsome structure situated on rue de Rivoii, 
a short distance east of the Louvre, and the most 
prominent object in that vicinity, being one hund- 
red and eighty- seven feet high. It is the bell -tower 
of the church of that name, erected in 15.08 -'2.2, 
and which was demolished, leaving only this tower 
standing, in 1789. More than two hundred thou- 
sand dollars have been expended by the Government 
in its repair. It is regarded as one of the finest 



382 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 






relics of Gothic architecture extant. "It is square, 
with an engaged turret at the northwestern angle, 
graceful pointed windows, elaborate tracery, niches 
with statues of saints, and a perforated balustrade 
at the summit, adorned with the statues of 'St. 
John the Baptist' and the animals attributed to 
the Evangelists. Under the arch of the ground 
floor stands the statue of Pascal, who here per- 
formed his first experiments to ascertain the weight 
of the atmosphere. " 

The Palais Royal, originally called V Hotel de 
Richelieu, has a long and interesting history — too 
long to be given here. It was first constructed 
by Richelieu out of the Hotels of Mercoeur and 
Rambouillet, the latter of which is celebrated in 
the literary annals of the sixteenth century. Riche- 
lieu died here on the 4th of December, 1642. The 
Palace has since been greatly remodeled and en- 
larged, but we are not advised whether the private 
apartments are at present occupied or not. We 
are inclined to think its latest occupants were Prince 
Napoleon and the Princess Clotilde. The southern 
section was set on fire in May, 1871, by the Com- 
mune and greatly damaged, but has been repaired. 
The garden, entirely surrounded by the Palace and 
an arcade, is seven hundred feet long by three 
hundred feet wide, and is handsomely adorned by 
a fountain, statuary, shade trees, and flowers. The 
arcade and glass covered galleries in other sections 
are lined with the finest shops, particularly for 
jewelry, watches, opera -glasses, and the thousand 
and one other smaller articles that the French know 
so well how to display. Here, also, are some of 
the best restaurants, or cafes, in the city. It was 
in this Palace garden that, on the 13th of July, 



PARIS. 383 

1789, Camille Desmoulins, mounting upon a table, 
called to arms the crowd that pressed around him 
and invited them to seize upon a green cockade 
as a sign of hope. They at once formed cockades 
of the green leaves of trees, but these were soon 
replaced by the tri- colored cockade, and the Revolu- 
tion was begun. 



CHAPTER LIX. 

IJEDaRIS, April 20. — It is sad to see the ruins of 
~^y the Hotel de Ville, the Tuileries, and of several 
other large Government buildings in the heart of 
the city, some on one side of the Seine and some on 
the other. The Tuileries is the only one of four or 
five immense buildings, all within a short distance 
of one another, that was not entirely destroyed by 
fire during the Communist insurrection in May, 1871, 
following the bombardment of the city by the Ger- 
man forces. Nearly the entire west front of the 
Palace of the Tuileries, looking upon its beautiful 
garden, is either razed to the ground or in such a 
wrecked condition that it cannot be repaired; but 
the other sections of the building were less damaged, 
although no part of it, we think, is now habitable. 
What a contrast between the present period, or 
1870-*71, and the year 1867. when the writer saw the 
Emperor of Russia and King William of Prussia in 
the same coach with Napoleon III., as a few months 
later he also saw the Emperor of Austria by the side 
of Napoleon enter the city in proud array! The 
smooth concrete carriage -way of the Boulevard 



384 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



Italien was not nice enough for the grand cavalcade 
without being covered with clean, moist sand, which 
was spread upon it by hundreds of laborers, working 
with their might to keep ahead of the procession. 
The display was still more grand, if possible, on the 
occasion of the military review in the Bois de Bou- 
logne, in honor of the Emperor of Russia and King 
of Prussia. This was one of the wonderful sights 
with which we were favored in the time of the 
Exposition, enhanced as it was not only by a near 
view of those sovereigns, but also of the Emperor 
Napoleon, the Empress Eugenie, the young Prince 
Napoleon, and many other distinguished personages, 
with their brilliant equipages. All the world, with 
all its horses and carriages, appeared to be present, 
with no limit to the number of spectators on foot. 
Never before had we seen anything of the kind half 
as extensive. It was while returning from this re- 
view that a demented Pole fired a pistol shot at the 
Emperor Alexander, but fortunately failed to hit 
him, and was immediately arrested. We heard the 
report of the pistol and witnessed the confusion, and 
the next day we were present in the Legislative 
Assembly when a resolution was passed, followed 
by loud applause, congratulatory of the Emperor's 
escape. In the evening there was a grand ball at 
the Tuileries and a general illumination of the city 
in honor of the distinguished guests. The whole city 
appeared to be in a blaze of glory. Besides the 
lights in the windows there were continuous rows of 
gas jets from the tubes running along the second 
story at the foot of the balconies of dwelling houses 
and shops; the walks of the Garden of the Tuileries 
were festooned on either side by gas lights protected 
by glass globes, the jets d' eaux were illuminated by 



PARIS. 385 

rays of calcium light, more brilliant if possible than 
the sun, and of variegated colors, while the trees 
were hung with thousands of Chinese lanterns — 
the whole presenting a scene which could not have 
failed to command the admiration even of dwellers 
in fairyland. 

Now that we have gone back again to our first 
European trip, we may as well remain a little 
longer. Although not enjoying the honor of at- 
tending the great ball, not having solicited tickets 
of invitation, we nevertheless saw the rooms in 
which it was held, as well as most of the other 
rooms of the Tuileries, and one Sunday were ad- 
mitted to the Emperor's Chapel by tickets kindly 
sent us by General Dix, then our Minister; and 
here we had a good view of the Emperor and Em- 
press of France, who occupied seats in the gallery 
fronting the altar. There were a few ladies and 
gentlemen, supposed to be members of the family, 
in the side galleries, but the Emperor and Empress 
were the only occupants of the front gallery. Upon 
their entrance from an adjoining chamber, but be- 
fore they came in sight of the audience below, an 
officer at the altar cried out, — "L'Empereur!" and 
they immediately came forward and kneeled, when 
the priest proceeded with the services. Napoleon 
was in plain citizens' dress and the Empress was 
habited like any other lady. We confess we paid 
little attention to the religious ceremonies, for we 
went there, as most strangers did, to see the Em- 
peror and his beautiful spouse, and our eyes were 
almost constantly on them until they retired. We 
thought the Emperor looked weary and somewhat 
broken. Soon after the services were concluded, 
he entered a carriage at the door, smoking a cigar, 
25 



386 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

and, in company with the Empress, took his de- 
parture to spend the afternoon probably in a drive 
either to St. Cloud or Versailles. 

Now, alas, how changed! The Emperor defeated, 
made prisoner, the witness of a humiliating treaty 
of peace, dead, and the Empress and Prince in exile! 

"What is glory? what is fame? 
The echo of a long lost name; 
A breath, an idle hour's brief talk; 
The shadow of an arrant naught; 
A flower that blossoms for a day, 

Dying next morrow; 
A stream that hurries on its way, 
Singing of sorrow." 

Pere La Chaise, the Cemetery made famous by the 
writings of Lamartine ere special attention had been 
directed to the embellishment of burial places in the 
United States, is situated on an eminence in the 
eastern suburbs of the city, corresponding somewhat 
with our Congressional Cemetery, while the Arc de 
Triomphe, on the western side, may, in point of 
location, be regarded as somewhat corresponding 
with our White House, or more nearly with the 
Heights of Georgetown. The great bulk of the city 
lies principally on lower ground, between Pere La 
Chaise and the Arc de Triomphe, extending to the 
north and south of the Seine, which, in its course 
through the city, separates and forms two consider- 
able islands just east of the Louvre. We entered 
Pere La Chaise from a narrow street lined for one 
or two squares with small shops filled with flowers 
wrought into crosses, wreaths, etc., as immortelles 
to be laid upon the graves or hung upon the railings 
around the tombs, as in 1867 the iron railing around 
the Column Vendome was hung with these wreaths, 



paris. 387 

supposed to be in remembrance of Napoleon I. , since 
none are seen there at present. Pere La Chaise is 
not remarkably beautiful, but its walks are well 
laid out, and it is sheltered by shade trees and 
adorned by growing vines and flowers. Among the 
twenty thousand or more tombs here, the one most 
visited, probably, is that of Abelard and Helo'ise, 
which is quite imposing. When we were there, it 
was surrounded by a staging and undergoing re- 
pairs. There are monuments, also, to La Fontaine, 
Moliere, La Place, Arago, Beranger, and to many 
others whose names are familiar to us; but Abelard 
and Helo'ise, whose memory has been kept fresh for 
more than seven hundred years, may survive them 
all on the tablet of the ages. Naughty as they both 
were, they nevertheless command the admiration of 
mankind on account of their undying love for each 
other. He was born in the village of Palais near 
Nantes, in the year 1079, and in one of the churches 
there a lamp, lighted at his demise, has been kept 
burning ever since in commemoration of his virtues. 
He early devoted himself to the study of philosophy 
and the sciences, and for some years was at the 
head of a school of rhetoric, first at Melun and 
Corbiel, and later at Paris, where he lectured on 
rhetoric, philosophy, and theology. He was twice 
the age of Helo'ise, niece of Fulbert, a canon of 
Paris, when he became acquainted and finally infat- 
uated with her. A girl of seventeen, she is said to 
have been radiant with beauty, intelligence, and 
genius, and on her part was equally entranced with 
the famous scholar. Obtaining permission to give 
her instruction at her uncle's, he subsequently be- 
came a resident at Fulbert's house, where "for sev- 
eral months the lovers indulged in a wild dream of 



388 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



passion." This resulted most unfortunately for both, 
but it did not weaken their love for each other, and 
by the consent of all concerned they were married. 
Helo'ise desired to keep the marriage a secret; but 
this did not please the canon, who, thinking that 
her husband intended to force her to take the veil, 
caused him to be seized and ignominiously punished. 
Abelard now became a monk, and, tired of the 
world, Helo'ise voluntarily took the veil. They 
were now separated for eleven years, when they 
again came together at St. Gildas do Ruys, of which 
monastery he had been appointed Abbot. He died 
in 1142, at the age of sixty- four. Helo'ise, request- 
ing to be buried at his side, survived him only a 
few years. 

The Jardin des Plantes, originally intended only 
for a Botanical Garden, is a Zoological and Orni- 
thological Garden as well, and connected with it are 
a Museum and Library of Natural History, a Mu- 
seum of Comparative Anatomy, and a Conservatory 
of Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry. We have 
found much to interest us here, especially the birds 
and animals, of which there is an extensive collec- 
tion, and one or more of almost every kind. 

Returning from the Jardin des Plantes, we visited 
the Pantheon, a fine church, the portico of which is 
modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. It is in the 
form of a Greek cross, and "the interior consists of 
three naves, surmounted by the dome and separated 
by a range of one hundred and thirty fluted Corinth- 
ian columns." Among the distinguished persons 
buried here were Voltaire, Rosseau, Marshal Lannes, 
and the Duke de Montebello. 

The Church of Saint Roche, founded in 1G53, is 
rather plain on the exterior, but finished in the inte- 



PARIS. 389 

rior in a costly style, and it is adorned by a profu- 
sion of sculptures, fine statues, and many paintings 
of marked excellence. It stands on rue St. Honore, 
in the heart and one of the richest quarters of the 
city. It was from the steps of this church that 
Napoleon I. leveled his cannon on the insurgents at 
the time of the National Convention;, and from its 
sacred altar Marie Antoinette was led to the guillo- 
tine in the Place de la Concorde. 

The Palace and Garden of the Luxembourg well 
repay many a visit. The Garden is large and beau- 
tifully laid out, and the Palace is a complete Muse- 
um of Art. The painting here which most strongly 
fixed our attention represents a large number of the 
victims of the Reign of Terror in prison, waiting, 
one after another, to be led to execution, neither 
knowing whose turn might come first. We have a 
graphic photograph of this famous picture. The 
Palace has on several occasions been used as a 
prison for distinguished persons charged w^ith politi- 
cal offences. 

The Hotel de Cluny is a curious old building 
of the fifteenth century, and it is filled with an 
endless collection of Roman and other antiquities. 
We have taken much more pleasure there, in the 
Louvre, and in other museums of art, than in going 
to the theater, which we have visited once only, 
or to the Bourse, where we have been once, to 
see how crazy men may become in the pursuit of 
gain, or, in fact, to witness any single sight in 
Paris. We have not been to the opera, contenting 
ourselves with an exterior view of the new opera 
building, which is very grand and beautiful. After 
all, it is impossible to tell of half the things that 
strike our attention as we go from place to place 



390 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 




LUXEMBOURG PALACE. 



PARIS TO LONDON. 391 

in the city. The vast whole — le tout ensemble — 
of Paris is, we repeat, one of the wonders of the 
world. 




CHAPTER LX. 

Home, home again, from a foreign shore. 

— Ballad. 

, E had tarried in Paris about five, weeks, and 
it was now time to prepare for a decisive 
movement homeward. With the smaller purchases 
of photographs and various trinkets, which we had 
collected on our journey after leaving London, to- 
gether with some larger acquisitions in Paris, we 
filled a good -sized chest, or box, provided with 
hinges and locks, which we had purchased for the 
sum of twelve francs; and for fifteen francs the 
agent of the Cunard Line took charge of and sent it 
direct by water to the steamship " Bothnia," on 
which vessel we had engaged passage from Liver- 
pool. This was quite a relief, as it not only saved 
the trouble of looking after it on the way through 
London and Liverpool, but it also avoided all exami- 
nation by the English Custom House. Our arrange- 
ments completed, we left Paris at seven o'clock on 
the morning of the 22d of April for London, still in 
company with Dr. Parker and party, who had taken 
passage in the "Scythia," to sail on the 27th of May. 
Our route was by the way of Boulogne and Folk- 
stone. The day was pleasant, and all Nature was 
beaming with the brightness of spring. The fields, 
laid off into patches, some for one kind of grain or 



392 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



plant and some for another, presented a picturesque 
appearance; and long rows of the Lombard poplar, 
trimmed nearly to their tops, skirted the lanes and 
highways, ready to throw out another set of twigs 
for fagots, which, tied up in bundles and dried, form 
in some parts of Europe no inconsiderable amount of 
fuel. So, likewise, on rough land along the railroads 
and in swampy places not fit for tillage, we observed 
that willows, alder, and other bushes of rapid growth 
are cultivated and cut annually, or less frequently, 
for the same purpose. Most remarkable to relate, 
we had a perfectly smooth passage across the Chan- 
nel. Our boat was crowded with passengers, but we 
do not remember to have seen a single one who 
suffered from seasickness. Among the passengers 
we were happy to meet the Hon. Russell Gurney, 
who was the Commissioner on the part of Great 
Britain in the settlement of war claims against the 
United States, under the Treaty of Washington. 

We reached London at five in the afternoon, and 
at once proceeded to our former lodgings in Queen's 
Road, Bayswater, West. As the "Bothnia" was 
not to sail until the 6th of May, we now had ten 
days more in London, affording us another oppor- 
tunity to revisit places of interest there, to see some 
things we had not seen before, and meet again 
our esteemed English friends. We have heretofore 
spoken of what most interested us in London. It 
was a rest to find ourselves here again after a long 
and tedious journey, occupying nine months, and 
especially coming as we did directly from noisy 
Paris, where Sunday is perhaps the noisiest day 
of the week. We enjoy a quiet Sabbath; and in 
this respect, as well as on other accounts, London 
seems like home. We like its solid character, its 



LIVERPOOL. 393 



Hyde Park, its grand old Abbey, its St. Paul's, 
its wonderful Museums, and its Westminster Hall. 
The Thames, too, with its grand bridges, superb 
embankment and majestic current, holds its proud 
place in the picture. The apostrophe to it by Sir 
John Denham (born 1615) is good: 

"Thames! the most lov'd of all the Ocean's sons 
By his old sire, to his embraces runs, 
Hasting to pay his tribute to the sea, 
Like mortal life to meet eternity. 
O could I flow like thee! and make thy stream 
My great example, as it is my theme; 
Tho' deep yet clear, tho' gentle yet not dull; 
Strong without rage, without o'erflowing full." 

We took leave of London at noon on the 4th of 
May, 1876, and arrived in Liverpool at five o'clock in 
the afternoon, putting up at the Northwestern Hotel. 
On the following day we visited various parts of the 
city, and also called on our Consul, General Fair- 
child, who had kindly selected for us a good state- 
room on the "Bothnia." There is nothing remark- 
able about the city, except its beautiful Park and its 
river docks, which are noted for their magnificence, 
being "constructed on a stupendous scale, covering, 
with the dry docks, two hundred acres, with fifteen 
miles of quays." The city is situated on the north- 
eastern banks of the Mersey, which are uneven and 
in some parts quite steep. The public buildings are 
imposing, and there are several monuments, among 
them a column to Lord Nelson and an equestrian 
statue of George III. Passing along one of the 
business streets, we observed two shop windows 
which were completely lined with Confederate bank 
notes. It would, no doubt, be interesting to know 
their history. The seceding States found hosts of 



394 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

sympathizers in Liverpool during the war, and, en- 
couraged by leading British statesmen to believe 
that the South would ultimately succeed in estab- 
lishing and maintaining its independence, many of 
them, no doubt, cast their fortunes on that side, and 
lost. Far better would it have been both for Eng- 
land and the Confedeaacy had no such encourage- 
ment been given; and the act of Queen Victoria in 
declining to sanction any measures unfriendly to the 
United States is a bright jewel in her crown. 

Our heart-throbs quickened as we drew near the 
hour — two o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday, 
the 6th — when we were to go on board the tender 
which was to take us to the "Bothnia," Captain 
McMickan, Commander. We were promptly on 
hand, and our little steamer soon cast off and was 
on her accustomed way toward the ocean. While 
in Italy we responded affirmatively to a letter from 
Mrs. Tipton, wife of Mr. Thomas C. Tipton, of 
Washington, asking if she might place herself and 
her son Frankie, two years old, under our charge in 
crossing the ocean; and we were happy, on reaching 
the tender, to find them ready to accompany us. 
She is an accomplished English lady, and had been 
on a visit of a year at her old home in Bradford. 
Her father and two sisters came along to see her 
safely off. The younger sister had become very 
strongly attached to Frankie, who was a splendid 
little fellow, and hard, as it undoubtedly was, to 
part with her married sister, it seemed almost to 
break her heart to give him up, and she wept bit- 
terly. Poor girl! we felt for her most keenly. Gen- 
eral Fairchild was on board ready to render any 
advice or assistance; and by half past three o'clock 
the passengers were all transferred to the great ship, 



LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK. 395 

when the final greetings of friends, now to be sepa- 
rated, took place, and the tender with those who had 
come to see us on board, returned to her dock. 
It was five o'clock when we set sail. And now — 

" How swift we mount these watery hills! 

As light as horse or hound; 
Our good ship knows as on she goes 

That she is homeward bound — 
That she is homeward bound, my hearts, 

That she is homeward bound; 
For every gale that swells her sail 

Sings — We are homeward bound! " 

It was one o'clock in the afternoon of the next 
day when our vessel made the harbor of Queens- 
town, where we waited till half past three for the 
mail. Thus far the passage had been comparatively 
smooth, and it continued so until Monday morning, 
when we found quite a different state of things. 
The waves did not run very high, but they were 
very active and irregular, and it was impossible 
to adjust one's self to the motion of the ship, which, 
huge as she is, jumped about like the small steamers 
crossing the British Channel in a gale. The result 
was that many of the passengers were compelled 
to remain in their berths, or at least in their state- 
rooms; but we, with a few others, chose the deck for 
our performance — a sort of contre-danse, in which 
there was a good deal of chassez-ing between our 
seats and the side railing of the vessel. Knowing 
that in our rather bilious condition the exercise was 
pretty sure to prove beneficial, we were not in the 
least averse to taking part in it, although we cannot 
say we were proud of the figure we cut before quiet 
spectators. Indeed, it would have been a relief if 



396 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 



those only who engaged in the danse had been pres- 
ent. The two following days were pleasant, the 
sea had quieted down, and everything on deck wore 
a cheerful aspect. We were now several hundred 
miles from " where the broad ocean leans against 
the land," and yet a flock of sea-gulls, as if to cheer 
us on our solitary course, followed gaily in our wake. 
What a wonderful bird! and well may we ask — 



" Wanderer, whence? From earth, or air, or ocean? 
Hast thou thy home 'mid clouds or on the billow ? 
Or from some northern crag by sea-bird haunted, 
Hangs thy wild eyrie ? ' ' 

Among our two hundred saloon passengers there 
were less than a dozen whom we had ever met be- 
fore. Some of these were Mr. W. D. Washburne, of 
Minnesota, and family, Mrs. Tipton, and Mr. and 
Mrs. William H. Ferry, Jr. We formed a slight 
acquaintance with a few other pleasant people; for 
instance, Mr. and Mrs. Fred. James, Rodney House, 
Clifton, England; Dr. James B. Gould, of Rome; 
Mr. T. R. Gould and son, sculptors, Florence; Hon. 
Mr. Stanley, cousin of Dean Stanley, and wife; and 
Hon. J. Lowthian Bell, M. P. Mr. Bell, with Sir 
Charles Reed, F. S. A., Colonel Rich, R. E., Henry 
Laird, son of the great shipbuilder, and other Eng- 
lish gentlemen, were on their way to our Centennial 
Exposition, some of them to act as judges. 

We cannot say we are fond of being on the ocean, 
yet there is a fascination about it when once at sea, 
and particularly in fair weather, when the waves 
run not too high, that it is difficult either to fully 
comprehend or describe. It is at such times that we 
seek to find expression to our feelings in language 
more eloquent and stirring than commonplace prose. 



LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK. 397 

"What is the theme entrancing and eternal 
The wild waves sing? 
What is the message fraught with life supernal 
Their voices bring ? 

" Men change and cease to be, 

And empires rise, and grow, and fall; 
But the weird music of the sea 
Lives, and outlives them all." 

It is because of our apparently helpless condition 
on the ocean, doubtless — only a single plank, as it 
were, between us and the world beyond — that, 
while thus situated, we feel a livelier and more 
child -like dependence on the Great Source of all 
power than we usually experience in the busy walks 
of life on land. Stopping to contemplate, we lose 
ourselves in a vain effort to comprehend the vast- 
ness of creation and the mysteries of our being. 
Here before us rolls "the round ocean girdled with 
the sky," and we stretch our mental vision, alas 
how feebly! in trying to obtain the least glimpse of 
what there is beyond. The expanse of the great 
ocean alone is amazing: 

"Dark-heaving — boundless, endless, and sublime — 
The image of eternity — the throne 
Of the Invisible. 

* * * ^ *■ * * I 

Time writes no wrinkles on thy azure brow; 
Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou rollest now." 

We can only gaze in wonder, striving with our 
might to reach after infinity, and then, seeing that 
all is in vain, sink back hopeless into utter nothing- 
ness. "Be still, my soul, and trust." 

We move rapidly on, sometimes at the rate of 
three hundred miles, a little more or a little less, 
every twenty- four hours. The 11th was rough and 



398 SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 

disagreeable — the night foggy and dark, and the 
fearful screech of the warning steam whistle was 
heard above the roaring billows every three minutes 
until after midnight. Except a few hours toward 
evening on 'the 12th, there was a high sea, with 
more or less fog, until Sunday afternoon, the 14th, 
when the weather cleared off and continued pleasant 
the rest of the way. On our first Sunday, owing to 
interruptions consequent upon stopping at Queens- 
town, formal religious ceremonies were omitted; but 
on the second and last Sunday the customary Epis- 
copal services were held in the dining saloon, most 
of the passengers being present. All day on the 
15th there was scarcely a ripple on the face of the 
great deep. It was like oil. The sun shone brightly, 
and we were favored with the sight of three or four 
whales, spouting and disporting on either side of the 
ship as if for our amusement. We had spoken one 
steamship on her way to Liverpool; and we began 
now to meet or overtake an occasional sailing vessel. 
These are always cheerful sights at sea. About nine 
on the morning of the 16th, much to our delight, a 
pilot boat appeared in the distance and the pilot soon 
came aboard. Two hours and a half later we espied 
land — a joyous sight indeed. By two o'clock a tug- 
boat, bringing custom officials, came alongside, and 
with them a cherished relative to welcome us home. 
We cannot express the joy and thankfulness that 
took possession of our being at this hour. 

And, now, kind readers — you who have followed 
us in our long ramblings, among whom we recognize 
many dear friends, who have cheered us by flattering 
words of encouragement — good-bye and farewell, — 

" Farewell! a word that must be, and has been — 
A sound which makes us linger; yet, farewell! " 








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